Qualifications and membership have driven the CIPR’s increased participation over the past year.

The CIPR has released its year-end results for membership and participation. In 2012, the organisation recorded a 13% increase in members, taking the total above 10,000 for the first time. This included a massive increase in student membership after it implemented free student memberships for those students on one of the CIPR’s 43 recognised courses in September of last year.

Jane Wilson, CEO of the CIPR says, “The strategic decision to grant students on the CIPR’s 43 approved courses free membership, for the length of their studies, has proved to be a popular one.”

It has also noticed an increased presence within internal communications, likely due to the establishment of the Inside Story Awards. The awards celebrate the best in internal communications and will be held for the first time on 28 February.

The CIPR has also seen a 30% boost in qualifications enrolments, a trend that indicates the importance of professional development in the PR industry. One of the organisation’s recognised programmes, the PR Academy, recently awarded its newest class of distinction graduates.

Wilson adds, “The increase in enrolments on CIPR qualifications and training workshops indicate that the public relations industry is now placing professional development at the very top of the agenda. Developments made toward the back of 2012 in refreshing our training workshop programme, and extended this offering beyond London, ensures that our members and the wider public relations community have access to the highest standard of training available.”