MEPRA and Dubai Women’s College to launch UAE’s first Student PR Day

The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) in cooperation with Dubai Women’s College (DWC), a Higher Colleges of Technology flagship institution (HCT) is organising the first ‘Student PR Day’ on 1st November, 2010 at Dubai Women’s College campus.

Senior practitioners from different disciplines in communications will present workshops and career fair activities.

More than 200 students are expected to attend the first “PR Student day” mainly from HCT colleges in Dubai and Fujairah, Zayed University in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Middlesex University Dubai Campus and American University in Sharjah.

“Whether they are majoring in Mass Communications, Journalism, Business or PR students learn about our industry through text-books with little opportunity to understand the realities of working in communications,” commented MEPRA’s Executive Director, Rebecca Hill.

“By holding such an event UAE based students get an intense snap shot of the fast growing industry of communications and public relations.”

“As the next wave of communications professionals, it is in our interests as current practitioners to ensure they enter the workforce with realistic expectations, more informed as to their career prospects and more equipped at finding a job that suits them,” she added.

From his part, Dr. Howard Reed, Director of DWC, said that DWC is honored to host communications industry practitioners and university students from the region at this highly relevant and timely event. “MEPRA is thinking of the long term by trying to attract more local students into public relations,” he pointed out.

Student PR Day will consist of highly-interactive workshops and sessions covering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), social media, media relations and employee engagement. Moderating the morning session is Alexander McNabb at agency SpotOn PR and frequent speaker on Dubai Eye who will lead professionals from different fields – PR agency, in-house PR, marketing and journalism – in a light hearted debate on which career would be most exciting for students. The afternoon is geared to career development, personal branding and the job hunt where students will also have the opportunity to meet communications professionals from various blue chip consultancies and companies in the region.

Depending on the success of this event, MEPRA has ambitions to make PR Student Day a semi-annual event in 2011 as well as setting up a student’s chapter in the Association.