The month-long programme is in part fulfilment of the Institute’s cardinal objective of training Public Relations (PR) professionals and strengthening the professional capabilities of members to effectively take on the PR needs of corporate institutions, government and high-profile individuals.

A statement issued in Accra by Mr Charles Adjei Tetteh, the Executive Secretary, IPR said “Our fast evolving communications space requires communications practitioners to be abreast with new developments, best practices and applications, especially of new technologies to communications practice.”

It said the IPR accreditation programme had been designed to address these necessities and it involved seasoned communications practitioners facilitating discussions on Strategic Public Relations Management, Public Relations Writing, Integrated Communications, Etiquette and Protocol, Media Management and New Technology and Public Relations Law and Ethics.

It said membership of the Institute was categorised under Affiliate, Associate and Accredited so at the end of an intensive one month training programme (in the evenings) participants would be tested to enable successful candidates move up the rungs of membership.

“Enlisting on IPR Ghana’s accreditation course can be one of the best career investments a PR practitioner or aspirant would ever make as increasingly, most employers are insisting on IPR Accreditation/Membership as a major pre-requisite for communications related job vacancies,” it added.

The statement said as had often been the result, it was expected that this year’s professional accreditation programme would offer participants the opportunity to broaden their knowledge base, enhance their skills and further enrich their wealth of experiences and also build new networks of peers in order to meet the expectations of employers and satisfy the needs of consumers and clients.