Public Relations and Communication is a profession, and the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) are here to set, promote and regulate the standards that professionals are expected to meet. If you want to be a professional and if you want PR to maintain the respect other professions get, take your own professional development seriously, join PRIA, and start working on your continual learning through our CPD.

Change is the only constant. When you graduated from university you probably thought you knew it all, but whether it was last century or last year, PR has changed. Continuing to study will help you develop the skills and knowledge to meet each new challenge with confidence. Study will make you more valuable to your team, your clients or company, and the profession. It will also keep you interested and interesting.

You don’t need to spend any money; we have plenty of free resources on our website. You don’t have to do our courses although we think they’re some of the best around. Like most other professions these days you do need to show us that you’re keeping up with what’s going on, staying current, and continuing to develop professionally.

CPD tracking commenced 1 January 2015 for New and Emerging Practitioners (NEP), Associate (APRIA), Members (MPRIA) and Fellows (FPRIA).

A review by the National Professional Development Think Tank saw the following broad guidelines adopted:

• 20 points in one year is required to upgrade from NEP to APRIA;
• 20 points per year averaged over three years is required to upgrade from APRIA to MPRIA; and
• 30 points per year averaged over three years is required to maintain MPRIA/FPRIA.

A point generally equates to an hour's learning although some activities may be given a positive or negative weighting depending on whether they relate specifically to globally accepted competencies, in accordance with the National Professional Development Think Tank (NPDTT).

All PRIA and kindred supported activities will have an allocated value. Generally, this will be one point per hour of learning (1:1) excluding social or entertainment time. Networking or entertainment events not specifically targeted at PR practice will carry half a point per hour.

Professional Development events include

• PRIA Conference; Master Classes; RCG Conference; ‘101’ style training; webinars; Preparatory or Certification programs - one point per hour excludes social time.
• Delivering half a point for 0-20 minute speech, one point for a 20-45 minute speech, and five point for a conference* presentation (covering research, writing, and presentation) - one point for poster presentations. *Conference is defined by one of PRIA's annual events including; National Conference, RCG Conference, and the Masterclass Series
• Being a panel member for a conference or event (presentation time under 10 minutes of off the cuff remarks) - one point (research and panel participation)
• Chairing a session - one point
• PRINKS events - 0.5 points per hour

PRIA voluntary activities: participation in National Board, Board Committees, PRIA advisory panels, State Councils, SIGs, and RCG will have a 1:1 for all attended meetings. Members can claim for preparation time of position papers for discussion through the NPDTT.
Research Papers: a member may request points for preparation of an in-depth research paper on the PR or communication industry through the National Education Committee (NEC). Points value will range up to a maximum of 10 points per event.

Mentoring: (PRIA approved program): A mentor may earn a maximum of 10 points per mentee in any one year. A mentee may earn a maximum of 8 points in any one year.

Pro-bono work: points are also applicable for pro-bono work done in the industry (experiences provided would be assessed on a case-by-case basis).

All other activities: Attendance at kindred events* (where applicable), conferences or any other activity may earn points to a maximum of 10 points in a year. *applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis (ranging from 0.5 - 1 point per hour).

There may be some limits to claiming in various categories so for example not all professional development comes from one category.

CPD tracking for PRIA events will be automatic via PRIA’s web site or for other events by upload of certificates.

PRIA Professional Framework

Recognising that PR and Communication professionals need a framework for professional development pathways, qualifications and benchmarks within a changing industry, a Professional Framework has been developed.

The Professional Framework was developed by a working group, including senior PR and Communication practitioners, consultancy owners, recruiters and international industry representatives, in consultation with the PRIA National Education Committee and industry reference groups, as well as the wider communication and marketing industry. It will be revised as and when substantial industry changes create a need for updates.

The Framework’s objective is to ensure that both new and experienced PR and communication professionals are adequately educated and qualified for their roles, and that there is a clear industry-wide understanding of professional development, the progressive stages of a career, and a clear understanding of remuneration, rewards and recognition for each role.

Central to the Framework is a competencies matrix to help both agency and in-house PR and Communication practitioners understand potential career paths as well as the required skills and knowledge needed for various roles, both traditional and emerging.

The Australian Government requires PR and Communication to align to the Australian Qualifications Framework for the public relations industry. The PRIA is working closely with the AQF development team to align the AQF’s standards with the Framework’s competency matrix.

The PRIA will work closely with the Federal Government’s new commitment to Industry Skills development, as well as education and training providers to ensure that the agreed standards are met and promoted.

The PRIA Professional Framework is used as a reference point internationally, and will be updated as necessary. 

Finally, the Framework will guide the development and delivery of the PRIA CPD program to ensure all profession education and training opportunities can be counted towards your career development plans.

The PRIA Professional Framework is publicly available to download. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q - There is in particular a reference to practising certificates being available – this has not happened since I have been a member, will this now occur or will the concept be removed?

CPD material will continue to be added on the website as we release more updates. The PRIA’s resources are tight, and we aim to make improves to the main website as soon as practicable. A new website with increased CPD tracking facilities and online learning opportunities is due early 2017.

Q - Will CPD points be available for viewing recorded webinars as well as attending live?

Yes, although the latter needs a ‘booking’ system and we are aware of that.

Q - Does the PRIA acknowledge professional development certificates obtained through other (non-PRIA) activities? 

If self-assessment or pre-assessment is not relevant we may (and this depends on labour and cost resources) assess a particular course submitted by an individual member and allocate CPD points accordingly. Once the course is undertaken, the certificate could be endorsed by the provider and uploaded.