Joining the Flow PR team in late July, Lebogang Nkete, a third-year student studying towards her Diploma in Public Relations, began the journey towards gaining knowledge of the world of Public Relations.
Choosing to intern with Flow PR was a no-brainer but it also helped her fulfil the required 160-hour work-integrated learning required for her to obtain her diploma. Working with the Flow PR team, under the guidance of Caroline and Tshililo, has helped her get an understanding of the day-to-day practicalities of Public Relations – something a lecture room was unable to give her.
“Working with the team has taught me so much about the practical world of public relations. I have had hands-on experience with the daily running of a PR firm and I’ve met incredible people at Flow Communications. One thing I love about the team is that they let me make my own mistakes so I can learn from them,” says Nkete.
Completing studies at Damelin has helped many students explore opportunities that may have been limited if they had studied elsewhere. The Work-Integrated Learning initiative allows students to gain experience in their field of study before entering the working world. The initiative is well thought out as the students have a platform to put into practise the theory they had learnt and also gain the experience that they need to be employable upon completing their studies.
Since joining the Flow PR team, Nkete has had the privilege of attending meetings with major clients, such as The Big Break Legacy, and has also had the opportunity to learn about our other clients including Afrikka Tikkun and HSRC. In addition, she has gained report-compiling skills and has become proficient in the all-important public relations skill, interacting with the media.
“This experience has taught me so many things that I did not know, not only about public relations itself but also about people. I am also discovering things about myself,” says Nkete.
Next year she intends to study further, with the hope of completing a degree in public relations or complete a certificate in events and exhibitions. “My ultimate goal is to own my own events company, so it would be nice to handle the public relations within my own company,” says Nkete.
She believes that in order to build a career in public relations, a person needs to possess a number of qualities and skills, which include:
- Patience
- Professionalism
- Ethics
- Time management
- The ability to work well with others
These skills and qualities ensure that you build and maintain a relationship with your clients and colleagues.