Communication Courses

Communication: Overview

Communication covers an extreamly wide sector, and the skills can be applied to most industries. Communication skills can benifit most employers by broadening the capabities of their employees.

Expected Salary

Expected salaries in the Communication sector are:

• £17,000 to £20,000 starting salary
• £25,000 to £50,000 with experience
• £60,000+ executives

Training

To further your skills and advance your career you may like to contact one of the trainers listed on Underoak’s training directory.

Most courses cover:

• Sharpening your English
• Editing and proof reading
• Layout and design
• Media law

Opportunities for advanced IT training also help sub-editors to update their skills and keep up with industry developments.

Being fluent in written and spoken English is highly beneficial.

It is important to keep up to date with new technology and take advantage of any training courses offered. The range of skills you will require will depend on your job title.

Underoak lists many short courses to aid you in your career progression. These may be funded individually or through your company (please check the prices with the trainer, as sometimes they often offer a lower price for self funded training). To search these courses, simply type the relevant key words and click on ‘Course Details’ to send your enquiry direct to the trainer.

Click here for Communication courses.

Other soft skills may be useful, such as assertiveness or customer service, first aid and health and safety.

Related Careers

New skills are always in high demand and they could allow you to advance to a more desirable department.

Further career options:

• Broadcast Journalist
• Editorial Assistant
• Magazine Journalist
• Newspaper Journalist
• Public Relations Account Executive
• Public Relations Officer
• Publishing Copy-Editor/Proof-Reader
• Technical Author
• Writer

Useful Links

Core Skills

Specific skills which you could develop with Communication courses include:

• Knowledge and awareness of business organisations: how they operate and are managed, enhancing your commercial awareness, particularly if the course includes a work placement.
• Understanding the technical language and practices of a business.
• Numerical and quantitative skills.
• Problem-solving and analytical ability.
• Oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of global business issues, and competence in languages.
• Entrepreneurship.

Job Sites

Average working hours per week

Job Spotlight

Press sub-editors

The Role

Press sub-editors are journalists who work for:

• National daily or weekly newspapers
• Local and regional newspapers
• Magazines

They are responsible for ensuring that the tone, style and layout of the final copy matches the publication's house style and suits the target market.

Press sub-editors will proof read a copy before it is published to ensure that it is accurate, makes sense and reads well. Sub-editors also lay out the story on the page and may be involved with the overall page design.

Like other journalism roles, sub-editing is demanding and requires constant attention to detail within a fast-paced working environment.

Typical work activities:

• Editing a copy to remove spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
• Rewriting material so that it flows or reads better and adheres to the house style of a particular publication
• Ensuring that a story fits a particular word count by cutting or expanding material as necessary
• Writing headlines that capture the essence of the story or are clever / amusing
• Writing stand-firsts or sells (brief introductions which sum up the story)
• Liaising with reporters or journalists to clarify facts and details about a story
• Editing press releases or reports
• Writing the captions for pictures
• Adding last minute news stories
• Keeping up to date with sector issues, e.g. by reading related publications.

Salary:

£20,000 - £23,000 dependent upon sector and location. This will increase with experience.

Career Development

As Communication covers editorial/publication, listening skills, media skills, PR and more, there are many career paths for progression. A Few are listed below:

• Editorial Assistant
• Sub-editor
• Production Editor
• Sound Designer
• Chief Sub-editor
• Professional Proofreader
• Event Manager
• PR Administrator

Geographic mobility and a willingness to move companies can aid successful career development. The ability to maintain industry contacts and respond quickly to new opportunities is also very useful.