Virtual NextGen is a free online training programme developed by WPR, an award-winning PR and social media agency, designed to offer you an introduction to public relations and social media marketing.
Our Essentials topics do just what they say: they cover the essential topics you need to learn about if you’re interested in exploring a career in marketing, comms or the media.
Our courses are perfect for anyone who is considering a career in PR, social media or digital marketing.
Whether you’re at school or college, an undergraduate or recent graduate, in the early days of your working life, or considering a later life career change, you don’t need any previous experience or industry knowledge.
Yes. This is a completely free online course with no hidden fees. Anyone interested in gaining PR or social media marketing skills can enrol.
No. The courses cover introductory topics and are ideal for beginners who want to understand the basics before applying for internships or junior roles.
You can learn some practical skills, get insight into what a job in PR or social looks like, and test out what you’ve learnt through quizzes and exercises.
You’ll learn how PR works, how to write press releases, how different social media platforms work for brands, and how to create engaging content. Explore all the Essentials courses here.
All our content is packaged in bite size topics to make them as accessible as possible no matter how much, or little, time you have available. You can take them at your own pace and in whatever order you wish.
The PR topics and the social media topics combine to create a cohesive course which gives you a great introduction to each discipline.
Yes. If you complete all the topics in PR Essentials and/or all the topics in Social Media Essentials you will receive a certificate. You can take the individual topics in any order and dip in and out as you wish.
While taking these courses won’t guarantee any of those things, completing an introductory course demonstrates your commitment to learning about the industry and can strengthen your applications for real world experience.
If you are interested in applying for a placement at WPR on our in-person NextGen learning and insight programme, completing either the full PR Essentials course or the Social Media Essentials course is the first step. When we receive applications for in-person training, we will review the work submitted in the end of course test(s) as part of the application process.
You simply register online with your email address. Once you sign up, you’ll get instant access to all courses.
You only need a device with internet access, such as a laptop, phone, or tablet. All learning materials are hosted online.
Yes, additional topics exploring more advanced topics within PR and social media will be added in the coming months.
Also keep an eye out for special masterclasses on topics such as paid media, crisis comms, and influencer marketing.
