Skills and Professionalism in PR. How relevant is PR education?

PR education is important because it offers great opportunities and provides insight for people who are interested in building a career in PR. It is also crucial to the industry's attempt to attain a professional status. Cutlip et al (2006) point out five main benefits that PR education offers. These are,

1. the underlining "theories, the origin principles and professional practice of Public Relations
2. The Laws and ethics governing the profession
3. PR research, Measurement and Performance evaluation
   
4. PR Planning and Management
   
5. PR writing and Production" (p.126-127)

As with any other profession, standard formal education is important to the acquisition of the skills and knowledge needed to work in PR. To me, PR education also holds the key to effective regulation of the industry. However I think that all higher educational institution offering PR courses should agree on one standard curriculum to be used throughout the schools. This can drawn by the CIPR UK in collaboration with (Public Relations Educators Forum)PREF.

PR education can also facilitate quick career advancement on the field for graduates . I agree with Jacquie L' Etang (2002) assertion that "developments in academia are increasingly significant to PR practice given the number of graduates and their fast progression into positions of influence in the occupation" in her article Public relations education in Britain: A review at the outset of the mellieum and thought for a different research agenda, published in Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 7, No 1 p. 51.

As rightly argued by a renowned PR person to students at Ball state university, "Public relations will never reach the status of a profession as long as people can get into the field and prosper without having completed a fairly rigorous course of study in the of study in the field".

The debate by my classmates on the motion PR education is irrelevant, success in PR is determined by contacts and building relationships' was very interesting. Several arguments were made for and against the motion.

• Some arguments for the motion included:

1. Any good speaker with contacts and good interpersonal skills can work in PR.
2. Graduates from different discipline with good analytical thinking can work in PR.
3. Nearly 80% of PR practitioners in UK currently have no PR education but learnt on the job.

• Arguments against the motion included:

1. PR qualification is currently essential to securing a job in PR.
2. It is also important for career progression in the PR field.
3. PR education provides people with the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively in the PR field.

To me a balance of PR education and good contacts and relationship building is the way for.

Today was our last day in class as a group. I can't believe we've come to the end of the course so soon. I will miss both my lecturers and classmates dearly. It was nice meeting them all and learning from each other, as our class was higly multi-cultural and diverse in nature. We had people from all the five continents, from Africa, (Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria) to Asian, (Vietnam, India, Kazakhstan and China) to Europe ( Greece, UK, Russia, Croatia and France), to USA through to Australia. I wish everyone success and happiness wherever they may be. I hope we will all stay in touch.

Personally, I think the "MA Public Communication and Public Relations" course at the University of Westminster, London, is exhaustive, highly practical and well taught by the course tutors who have extensive practical and rich academic background in PR. I will recommend it to anyone who wants to pursue a career in Public Relations.