PR students get real with NGOs

Gen Y may be social media experts, but Public Relations students at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney Campus, are facing the challenge of turning tweets, posts and status updates into cash. As part of their major assessment task, the third year students are developing online marketing plans for some of the country’s most reputable non-government organisations (NGOs): Barnardos, The World Wildlife Fund and The Wine Society. Following a briefing on their clients’ requirements, the students will develop a fresh online strategy to pitch to the organisations. Phillip Cenere, Associate Dean of the School of Business, Sydney Campus, said the e-PR program prepares students for work in the real world. “The public relations program at Notre Dame is designed to offer students hands-on practical experience. In e-PR we don’t just talk about online PR, we go out there and do it!” Mr Cenere said. PR student Emma Sweeny is creating an e-PR strategy for The Wine Society and says the development process mirrors that of a real PR agency. “We are expected to meet face to face with our client to discuss the brief, communicate regularly with our client through Work in Progress updates each fortnight, and ultimately, to create a communications plan which will be pitched to our client,” Ms Sweeny says. PR students from the Sydney School of Business are well-placed to enter the workforce because of their practical experience in helping businesses make the most of the opportunities provided by the ever-evolving online marketplace. “Many organisations are targeting and recruiting students and recent graduates because of their familiarity with social media,” said Mr Cenere. “It’s a win-win scenario for the NGOs and students – the students receive invaluable experience learning to work on real projects and the not-for-profit organisations get to tap into the networking skills of Generation Y.” For further information please contact: Communications Officer, Elizabeth Fenech The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney Campus T: 02 8204 4407 E: elizabeth.fenech@nd.edu.au W: www.nd.edu.au