APR (Accredition)
How accreditation advances your career
One of the toughest aspects of any PR job is convincing the people around you that what you know is based on tested principles rather than gut intuition. Becoming accredited allows you to put the letters APR after your name. This shows the world that you are at the top of your profession.
Simply put, accreditation is your ticket to respect and credibility.
Plus, more employers are starting to look for APRs when recruiting or promoting.
For more information on becoming an APR, contact Cindy Goldberg, cindy@blueprintpr.ca.
How you can become accredited
The accreditation process measures a member’s experience and competence in the professional practice of public relations. Candidates must satisfactorily complete a three-part accreditation examination and subscribe to the Code of Professional Standards before being designated as an Accredited Public Relations practitioner and authorized to use the APR designation.
To be eligible for accreditation, candidates must be members of the Canadian Public Relations Society and have been employed full time in public relations, with more than half of this time spent in public relations professional activities, for not less than five years.
The three-part accreditation examination consists of a work example, a written examination and an oral examination. In addition to measuring their level of knowledge and competence, the examination process probes the candidates’ understanding of the Code of Professional Standards and their awareness of the theories, practices, techniques and tools used by practitioners to meet their obligations to employers or clients.
The National Office of CPRS makes available a manual on accreditation.
For more information on becoming an APR, contact Cindy Goldberg, cindy@blueprintpr.ca.
Accredited Members
The APR designation denotes high professional, educational and ethical standards in public relations as well as the leadership, professional judgment and communications skills to manage and strengthen relationships between an organization and its publics and stakeholders.
Ottawa-area practitioners accredited by the Canadian Public Relations Society and who are members in good standing include:
Name, Organization
Denis Abbott APR, Bank of Canada
Nicole Beauchamp APR, Consultant
Cindy Bickerton APR, Bickerton Communications
Jean-Paul Brasseur APR, Brasseur & Associates
Robert Burr APR, Burr Communications
Robert Butt APR, The Royal Canadian Legion
Mark Buzan, APR
Margaret Chartrand APR, MC Communications
Walter Joseph Chipchase APR, Consultant
Douglas Christenson APR, AECL
Yvette Diepenbrock APR, Conference Board of Canada
Robert Diotte APR, Consultant
Greg Gertz APR, Gertz Communications
Stephen Heckbert APR, Thornley Fallis Communications
Linda Halliday APR, Ontario Power Generation
David Kardish APR, Bridges Consulting
Chantal Lecours APR, L’Institut Professionel de la fonction publique du Canada
Pierrette Leonard APR, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Greg MacDougall APR, Department of Justice Canada
Pierre Pontbriand APR, Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Sylvie Rouleau APR, Société canadienne d’hypothèque et de loge
Donald Roy APR, Consultant
Maragret Rudolf APR, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Wendy Sailman APR, Department of Justice Canada
Jean Valin APR, Fellow CPRS, Department of Justice Canada
Léa Werthman, APR
Michelle Whelan APR, CUSO
Claudine Wilson APR, Algonquin College
