In the north Andy teamed up with fellow PR firm Northern Lights PR which run the paid internship for black and minority ethnic graduates.

Working in partnership with Bradford University School of Management, industry experts and businesses to give BME graduates hands on experience of working in corporate communications and public relations - a sector where the community has historically been under represented.  

During a packed three weeks, five interns attended a range of master classes led by industry experts covering media relations, press photography, social media in business and blogging.  

Northern Lights PR’s senior account director Carol Arthur is chair of the Yorkshire & Lincolnshire CIPR group.  A number of CIPR members were among the guest speakers including Justin McKeown from Grayling who ran a session on campaign design; Andy Green of GREEN Communications who ran a master class on personal branding; Professor Anne Gregory, head of PR at Leeds Metropolitan University who spoke on the real meaning of PR; Gary Taylor of Metro, who is secretary of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire group, led a workshop on writing for different audiences and Nigel Keenleyside who gave an insight into newspapers and the media.

The five interns were also tasked by marketing and communications professionals to come up with creative ideas to encourage more use of the railways and a new range of greetings cards celebrating special occasions for different cultures.

Commenting on the internship experience, Gabriel St Aimee said: "The public require companies to communicate effectively with them and I hadn’t realised what a skill that is.  

"Meeting so many people, from all walks of life and professional backgrounds, willing to share their expertise, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities for my own future."  

The five interns are Gabriel St Aimee, Nafisa Shafiq, Shaeeb Tanwir, Liane Clarke and Mohammed Waheed.  With degrees in a variety of subjects, including History and IT the extra skills and business experience offered by the internship has increased their career options.  

A similar internship for BME graduates is planned for 2011.