First, the skill set Kadeem Griffiths gained from Centennial College’s Public Relations – Corporate Communications program took him across various roles and sectors. Now, his know-how and experience have taken him around the world to Amsterdam, where Kadeem is the Internal Communications Lead – People at Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel companies.
“One of the things that drew me to communications is that the building blocks you gain during your education allow you to work anywhere,” says Kadeem, whose communications job entails working with a 20-person team that support’s the company’s global employee community. “Centennial really prepared me to get into any sector. I just needed to have an appetite for exploring.”
After he graduated in 2015, Kadeem’s communications job exploration started at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), where he spent five years. Initially hired as a communications assistant, Kadeem eventually advanced to communications advisor before becoming a senior communications advisor at the TTC. Then, Kadeem landed a role at LifeWorks as a senior specialist in internal communications, where he quickly transitioned into the role of internal communications manager. In 2022, he began his current position at Booking.com.
No matter the industry or job title, Kadeem says he’s continued to turn back to the skills he acquired during his Public Relations – Corporate Communications studies.
“Everything I learned at Centennial has been useful and I still use the skills every day,” he says. “The first thing we were told is that, at the core, you need to be a good writer. That is totally true for any communications job, and my writing is versatile because of my training. I feel like every course comes into play at some point though, from communications planning to events planning.”
It wasn’t just Centennial’s well-rounded curriculum that Kadeem says prepared him for his career, the experiential learning experiences the College provides also played a major role. Throughout their studies, Public Relations – Corporate Communications students have numerous opportunities to contribute to real companies and clients. For example, during the program’s Project and Event Management course, students create fundraising events for local charities. During an embedded field placement, meanwhile, students work, full-time, at a public relations agency, a not-for-profit, a government ministry or department, a corporation, or an association.
“I got my first two jobs out of school from connections I made in the program during my field placement and while working on a communications plan with a real-world client for one of my courses,” says Kadeem. “The networking is so important. Instructors and peers become the building blocks of your network. A lot of us from the program still lean on each other, even today.”
That humanistic connection was actually one of the main reasons Kadeem chose Centennial for his graduate certificate after completing a Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology. Having researched various corporate communications programs, Kadeem says he felt instantly comfortable at the Story Arts Centre during his program admission session.
“The admission process felt so human and there was such a great atmosphere,” he says. “It was the right place for me.”
Written By: Izabela Shubair