How can the public relations industry improve social mobility?

According to the PRCA, the public relations profession employs almost 100,000 people across the UK and contributes £16.7bn to the economy.

It’s an important job. Practitioners working across the public, private and third sector help to shape policies and narratives, engage with stakeholders and communities, and support risk and resilience efforts to keep organisations and the UK economy sustainable. 

However, there is a serious issue: today’s public relations practitioners do not reflect the organisations or society that they serve. 

The CIPR’s State of the Profession Survey shows that a quarter of PR practitioners attended fee-paying schools, compared to seven per cent of the UK population. 

Its 2024 PR Population Report, published in partnership with Chalkstream, reported that 87% of practitioners are of a white ethnic background, and they make up 90% of directors: 

• “Hiring in public relations is too often based on the professional norm of meeting assumptions about client expectations. It is holding back progress on diversity and inclusivity in the UK, because stereotypical assumptions of who 'fits' the right professional mould tends to favour candidates that match dominant identities (middle-class, white, cis-gender and able-bodied). This makes it harder for diverse candidates to get hired at all levels of the profession, and particularly as they move up the professional hierarchy.” 
  - Prof Dr Lee Edwards, London School of Economics

In 2021, the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre reported that the UK creative industries were under-represented by 250,000 working class people. Extrapolating data using the PRCA Census, the public relations figure is likely to be more than 13,500.

In short, public relations is becoming a closed profession to those who are predominately white, wealthy and networked.

Changing the PR industry

It’s time to change this. We launched Socially Mobile in 2021 to make a well-paid career in public relations accessible to everyone, regardless of background.  

It’s a not-for-profit PR school which equips the workforce of today for the challenges of tomorrow.

Socially Mobile is a fast-paced 10-week online executive education course that offers an unrivalled immersive and collaborative learning experience designed to move PR practitioners from a tactical to a strategic role and increase their earning potential. We run three cohorts a year.

Fully funded places are provided to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as under-represented and under-served groups, including ethnic minority practitioners, the LGBTQ+ community, women returners, and those with disabilities. 

Students graduate with a Certificate in Leadership Communication and a powerful new network, giving employers access to true diversity of skills and thought. 

The programme is accredited by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, the industry’s highest recognised standard for public relations and management training and development.

Paid and sponsored places are also available and contribute to keeping the Community Interest Company (CIC) sustainable. Basically, anyone signing up makes a difference to someone else’s life chances too. 

An appeal to the PR community

Socially Mobile is making an absolute difference in the lives of practitioners who graduate from the programme, while addressing equality and representation within public relations practice.

Nine out of ten of our 100+ graduates report that the programme has positively impacted their career. This includes new and better jobs (28%) and promotion and salary increases (41%).

We’re grateful that the CIPR and PRCA offer fully funded alumni a free year’s membership on graduation, and that AMEC helps all our students to continue their learning by offering free access to its Foundation in Measurement and Evaluation. 

However, we are currently reliant on sponsorship, paid places and volunteers' goodwill to keep the CIC running. 

We’re thankful to all those who help make Socially Mobility a reality and offer their time, expertise and energy to make it a success. But we’re also always looking for more people to join our growing community and asking the PR community if it can help us remain sustainable for the next two years, including through corporate sponsorship, the sponsorship of places for others or using Socially Mobile for their own team’s development.

Sarah Waddington is a co-founder of Socially Mobile, a director of Wadds Inc. and an experienced PR and management consultant helping organisations to articulate their purpose and optimise performance. 

Explore more about Socially Mobile, how you can get involved and how to contact its founders.

Four real life stories of social mobility in public relations.