Getting Started with your PR & Comms Apprenticeship

Welcome to your Public Relations & Communications Assistant Apprenticeship with The JGA Group. This page will help you get started with your apprenticeship.

On this page:

Apprenticeship Overview

The PR & Communications Assistant apprenticeship programme is an 16-month programme and the standard is made up of 3 core modules, each lasting 3 months. The training element of the course will take 12 months, with 4 months for end point assessment. Seminars are held remotely via Teams or Zoom, supplemented with online learning tools and self-study materials. Progress is recorded via an online tool (OneFile).

It is a requirement of the government that over the course of the apprenticeship you spend around 20% of your time completing activities which are not part of your day-to-day job role (minimum 6 hours per week). This is called off-the-job training. If you do not have GCSE/O Level grades A-C/4-9 in English and maths, JGA will provide you with teaching to achieve an equivalent Functional Skills qualification.

Course Contents Summary

  • Intro to PR and Comms
  • Organisational Structure and Strategy
  • Communication Strategy

1 month

  • Press office
  • Adapting comms for internal and external purposes
  • Reputational risk
  • Codes of practice
  • Evaluation of media

Project: Produce an internal release or press release in line with business and communications objectives

3 months

  • Social media channels
  • Video
  • Infographics
  • IT packages
  • Codes of conduct
  • Evaluation of digital media

Project: Create digital content with identified audiences and channels, in line with business and communications objectives

3 months

  • Press releases
  • Copy
  • Newsletters
  • Blogs
  • Codes of conduct
  • Evaluation of written communications

Project: Prepare and publish a piece of written content in line with a communications strategy

3 months

  • Skills coaching
  • Application of knowledge
  • Portfolio building
  • Small group round tables
  • EPA preparation

2 months

Top Tips and Resources

Get advice from former apprentices.

How to ace your JGA PR and Communications Assistant Level 4 apprenticeship

Are you looking for some top tips on how to ace your PR and Communications Assistant apprenticeship? If so, you have come to the right place.
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Apprenticeship Journey: My Perspective


Just starting out in your PR & Comms apprenticeship journey? Have a read of my own personal experience on this journey to see how my experience and top tips can help you!

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Useful Resources

The use of AI is growing fast. We need to keep an eye on how AI is designed, built, used, and ask questions to ensure that it provides benefits for everyone with a clear edge to working in the public interest above all. Ethics Guide to Artificial Intelligence in PR from the CIPR

If you know someone who is considering a job in PR, the new CIPR careers hub is a useful starting place. There is a good explanation of the sectors and career case studies and lots of helpful guides and videos on where to look for a job, how to boost your profile on LinkedIn and how to prepare for interviews as well as what qualifications to consider if you have gaps in your knowledge. CIPR Careers Hub

Your Tutors & Coaches

The full team involved in teaching and coaching for the PR and Comms Apprenticeship.

Daniel Gordon
Tutor

Email
Robin Marks

Robin Marks
Tutor & Skills Coach

Email

Iain Pickles
Coach & Progress Adviser

Email
Annabel Chow

Annabel Chow
Skills Coach & Progress Adviser

Email
Image of Ian Morton

Ian Morton
Skills Coach

Email
Sarah Jane Baynes

Sarah Jane Baynes
Skills Coach & Progress Adviser

Email

Melanie Clarke
Progress Adviser

Email

Explaining the Roles

There are three key roles in the team which will support your apprenticeship. Some members of staff cover more than one of these.

Your tutor will lead you through your workshops or seminars and deliver a large proportion of the knowledge elements of your apprenticeship with you.

Your coach will meet with you each month to help develop and evidence your skills and behaviours within the workplace. Your line manager will attend part of this session. They will help you gather evidence to demonstrate your overall competency.

Your learner progress adviser will help provide additional support where needed and monitor your progress. You will meet with them, and your line manager, every three months.

We use OneFile as our e-portfolio system. This is where your assignments will be set, you will submit your work and you will log your off-the-job training.

Your regular reviews will be stored on here as will some resources for your course. You will complete a learning journal, be able to monitor your progress towards your Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours and refer to your workplace training plan.

Our training video covers all the key features of OneFile you need to know. Visit the Support and FAQs page if you have questions or issues.

Mandatory Units

The JGA Group is strongly committed to practices that protect children, young people and adults from the risk of abuse, neglect or significant harm. Staff recognise and accept their responsibility to develop an awareness of the risks and issues involved with Safeguarding.

Therefore, as part of your enrolment process for your apprenticeship, we require you to complete the JGA Safeguarding – ETF Learners Side-by-Side Courses. Which will introduce you to key topics within Safeguarding.

Side-by-Side is a Prevent resource for learners from the Education and Training Foundation.

The modules will cover:

  • Radicalisation and Extremism
  • Staying Safe Online
  • What can you trust?
  • British Values

Please create a login and complete the Side-by-Side training.

For ETF account support please email ETF support directly.

Workplace Development Plan

A Workplace Development Plan will be developed with you, your Line Manager and your JGA skills coach.

This will include specific role related learning or activities to help you achieve the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) required by the apprenticeship standard.

It will help you to evidence your progress and meet the off the job training requirement.

It is a key tool to individualise the apprenticeship to your needs and that of the business.

Programmed Activities

Seminars

Regular small group tutor-led seminars, full day or two half days per module

Coaching

Regular coaching sessions with a sector expert; your work mentor/line manager will be invited to the first part

Reviews

Quarterly formal progress reviews in collaboration with your line manager and Learner Progress Adviser

Self-study

Pre and post seminar activities, self-directed learning and learning opportunities within your workplace

Assessment

End Point Assessment (EPA) is the process at the end of your programme for you to demonstrate to a third-party assessor that you have acquired the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the Apprenticeship standard.

Learner Handbook

Alongside this learner zone, the handbook will help you understand the general expectations of how each party to the apprenticeship should behave (you, your employer and us). It outlines the academic code, how to write assignments and what is unacceptable practice.

Safeguarding, Prevent, Welfare & British Values

Paula Wakelin
Paula WakelinSafeguarding & Prevent Officer
There is nothing more important than keeping you safe. If you or someone you know is at risk, click on the button to raise your concerns.

We are strongly committed to practices that protect you from the risk of abuse, neglect or significant harm. Our staff recognise and accept their responsibility to develop an awareness of the risks and issues involved in safeguarding. All staff and learners should have zero tolerance for abuse, bullying, neglect and violence.

Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. At the heart of Prevent is safeguarding children and adults and providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity.

We provide expert support to help you on your apprenticeship journey. This includes mental health and neurodiversity, careers guidance and academic and financial challenges.

We want to help you achieve your full potential. We offer careers consultancy to ensure you have impartial and constructive information and guidance to help you decide and then to action your career decisions.

We aim to create an equal, diverse, inclusive and respectful culture. All of us contribute towards this culture through our actions and words. JGA aims to address any barriers to equality in our systems, policies and decision making as well as in our behaviour and ways of working.

The Fundamental British Values underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse United Kingdom, valuing our community and celebrating diversity.

There is a code of conduct which applies to you and all learners on our programmes. This lays out the expectations for your behaviour whilst on the apprenticeship.