Taylor Bennett Foundation, a charity focused on enhancing diversity in the PR industry by training and mentoring black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) alumni, has brought together the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), with the object of coming up against the industry’s diversity problems.

The PRCA and the CIPR, which are two of the largest PR associations in Europe organisations, have jointly decided to offer the foundation’s graduates reduced price membership, making access to their services easier. The initiative is a clear statement of support to the foundation’s cause, which has helped over 200 graduates that have been through their traineeship programmes get a job in in-house communications teams and PR consultancies.

Taylor Bennett Foundation’s chief executive, Sarah Stimson, says, “Access to membership bodies is important if the industry is to improve ethnic diversity. This commitment from the PRCA and CIPR demonstrates the appetite to diversify their membership.”

However, this is not the first time both the PRCA and the CIPR show their support towards Taylor Bennett Foundation. The former named the Taylor Bennett Foundation its Charity of the Year 2017-18 and has provided a free training session for each graduate trainee. The latter has been providing the foundation with a venue for its graduate valuation days for the past five years.

Matt Cartmell, deputy director general of the PRCA, adds, “We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with the PRCA’s Charity of the Year, the Taylor Bennett Foundation. By offering its alumni a 50% discount off the cost of individual membership, we aim to support more BAME practitioners as they develop their careers as PR and communications professionals. And by making this announcement alongside the CIPR sends a clear signal of the importance of the foundation to the growing diversity of the industry.”

The PRCA and the CIPR have recently collaborated within the framework of a partnership with Career Ready, a nationwide charity dedicated to preparing young people for the world of work.

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