PR 393 students tell me your thoughts about what it means to be a 'Young Professional'?

A bit about what I will be doing at Woodside Energy Ltd...

My PR Internship surrounds the work I will be doing on two different events with Woodside Energy Ltd over the course of the next few months. 

I currently work full time as the GWF-1 Administration Assistant and will gain further PR experience through my involvement with both the Woodside Young Professionals (WYP) committee and the SHREC (Safety, Health, Risk, Environment and Community) Committee.

The WYP Committee will be holding an event in late September 2013 with the CEO Peter Coleman while the SHREC Committee will be organising a volunteer event with Volunteering WA involving approximately 30 employees, sometime in October or November 2013.

Bev East the General Manager of Communities at Woodside Energy Ltd has kindly agreed to oversee my progress and to act as my supervisor and mentor throughout my PR 393 Internship.

Young Professional...what does it mean?

After my first meeting with the WYP an interesting issue was raised about the stigma surrounding the 'Young Professionals' term used so widely across professional organisations within Perth CBD. 

How many years did you have to be working to be classified under the term 'Young Professional'?

Did you need to have any specific qualifications, a degree for example? 

Were graduates also 'Young Professionals' or did this group specifically focus on those between the graduate sphere and those in established roles or management?

To consider these questions while promoting an event under the WYP banner prompts me to ask whether there is a grey area that first needs to be defined and then clearly communicated before an event such as this is to be a success.

Like any event the objectives must be clearly defined, both process and outcome objectives, in order to analyse the success of the event. 

"Why are we doing what we are doing?" is something most PR students have heard before, however with this event looming, Bev East my supervisor, reminded me of the importance of this rule and has directed my thoughts to reconsider those 'measurable objectives' and to also consider the clarity behind the WYP name. 

The challenges that lay ahead over the next month include the clarification and communication of the WYP label within the network at Woodside, organising the event particulars and promotion of the event.

I look forward to updating readers as the event nears and to map my progress throughout the unit.

Please also feel free to comment with your ideas about what it means to be a 'Young Professional'.

Regards,

Maddy Long