This occupation is found in organisations that come from the public, private and third sectors. Typically, public relations and communications assistants work in agencies or in-house for employers.
The broad purpose of the occupation is the building, protecting, and maintaining of positive reputation for brands, organisations, and individuals. The role also concerns the way those brands, organisations and individuals communicate about themselves, their products, or their services with a range of audiences, via different methods.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation will communicate and build relationships with different people. This includes the media, stakeholders, the public, internal colleagues, and various audiences to get their client’s or organisation’s message across and influence opinions and behaviour in the most effective way.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for researching and understanding their clients’ or organisation’s goals. They will then use their communication expertise to support the day-to-day delivery of effective campaigns to deliver specific objectives or organisational goals. Typically, this would include developing written and non-written content, contributing towards campaigns or new business proposals, and managing and sharing information with stakeholders. An individual will spend time researching various audiences and stakeholders. They will analyse and report on the impact of campaigns and programmes.
The occupation requires using one’s own initiative while supporting those leading on campaigns and programmes and involves working closely with colleagues in a team environment.
As a core element of their role, public relations and communications assistants will be required to have a good knowledge of current affairs, the media, the public relations industry and how it informs their role. They will understand how their role supports the wider organisation structure. They will apply codes of practice, legislation, and regulation in respect of their organisation’s areas of operation. This will apply not only to legal and ethical responsibilities but will include the central placement of inclusion and sustainability.
Public relations and communications assistants will use IT systems and software to support campaigns. This may extend to the production of non-written content such as film production, live streaming, image creation and infographic production.
Typically, employees will be mainly desk-based, although travel to meetings, events and training is routinely part of the role.
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Develop written and non-written content and schedule this content for publication/distribution according to the public relations and communications or campaign plan. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K15 K16 K17 K19 K20 |
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Duty 2 Contribute to the creation of campaigns or new business proposals planning and their implementation. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K10 K11 K13 K15 K16 K19 K20 |
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Duty 3 Research, analyse and monitor stakeholders to inform engagement strategies. |
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Duty 4 Monitor media to keep up to date with current affairs and build knowledge of the journalist and media landscape. |
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Duty 5 Research, analyse and evaluate campaigns against key performance indicators (KPIs) to prepare future campaigns. |
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Duty 6 Share content with relevant stakeholders and media, to inform and influence audiences to maintain positive relationships. |
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Duty 7 Undertake reputation assessment and formulate responses to support stakeholders with the planning and implementation of reputation management and/or crisis strategies. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K12 K16 K17 |
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Duty 8 Support the Public Relations and Communications’ team with routine administrative, logistical, and time-sensitive tasks. |
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Duty 9 Support the planning and delivery of ad hoc engagement activities such as events. |
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Duty 10 Contribute to team development through sharing relevant knowledge and skills when required. |
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Duty 11 Organise and coordinate stakeholder meetings. |
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Duty 12 Contribute to the organisational objectives and key performance indicators to support communication activities which drive and improve performance and sustainability goals. |
K1: Current affairs, the media, the public relations industry, and how they impact their role.
Back to Duty
K2: How their role supports the wider organisation structure and works alongside other multi-disciplinary teams such as internal communications and marketing.
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K3: The organisation structure and objectives and how these affect the work with stakeholders or clients.
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K4: The structure of communication plans and how these feed into the overall communications strategy.
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K5: The creation and management of materials which support communication programmes, campaigns, or new business proposals.
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K6: The operational processes required to prioritise team and individual workloads to meet deadlines and objectives.
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K7: Technology and software used in the delivery of programmes and campaigns.
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K8: Production lead-times and deadlines for digital build, content creation, print, and media.
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K9: Communication techniques and approaches to interact with stakeholders to meet their requirements.
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K10: The importance of horizon scanning for future changes and developments in relation to the industry or sector.
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K11: The principles of Qualitative and Quantitative research.
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K12: Risk assessment methodologies and approaches to mitigate or manage reputational impact and implementation of crisis plans.
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K13: The importance of evaluation in demonstrating the value and impact of public relations.
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K14: Regulatory and legislative requirements relevant to their sector such as data protection and codes of practice.
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K15: How to analyse and interpret complex technical information.
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K16: The support requirements or development needs of their team.
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K17: The tools used to measure the impact of organisational objectives, and the wider environment and sustainability on public relations and communications activities.
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K18: Principles of conducting public relations and communications which are ethical and inclusive.
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K19: The principles of non-written content.
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K20: Approaches to distributing content using social media channels.
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K21: Where to source information on career professional development.
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S1: Use IT systems and software to support campaigns.
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S2: Build stakeholder relationships including developing contacts within the media and presenting to them in both formal and informal settings.
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S3: Support campaigns by undertaking tasks such as desk research, event co-ordination, and database management to ensure compliance with agreed service or performance levels.
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S4: Produce written content such as news releases, articles, social media content, bulletins, and blogs, that is accessible to meet the needs of different audiences and channels.
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S5: Able to adapt communication styles as appropriate to the audience.
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S6: Support the production of non-written content such as film production management, producing short user generated style content, live video streaming, social image creation, and infographic production.
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S7: Distribute content using social media channels.
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S8: Use qualitative and quantitative research to analyse and evaluate public relations and communications activities and present findings to project stakeholders.
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S9: Analyse and interpret complex subjects through different communication channels and identify areas for improvement.
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S10: Input to and review communications programmes and plans with a focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
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S11: Undertake risk assessment and provide information to support stakeholder planning and strategy.
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S12: Plan and deliver engagement activities for stakeholders, such as curating the content, supporting events, and collating feedback.
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S13: Proofread and edit communications materials such as news releases, graphics and video, and social media content.
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S14: Support team and colleague development through buddying or coaching.
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S15: Contribute to activities which focus on improving sustainability within the organisation.
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S16: Apply relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and ethical guidance where appropriate to their work.
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B1: Acts professionally and with integrity to build trust.
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B2: Works collaboratively and builds strong relationships with others across the organisation and external stakeholders.
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B3: Has accountability and ownership of their tasks and workload.
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B4: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
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B5: Takes responsibility, shows initiative, and is organised.
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Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Occupational standard, end-point assessment plan and funding band revised | 01/02/2024 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 27/03/2018 | 31/01/2024 |
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