This posting will be just a continuation of my previous blog which was about the importance of education for the public relations industry. Based on my UK academic experience, I believe that there is a trend to have academic qualifications in Public Relations. Since we recognize that there is a trend in this field, research in PR industry will continue therefore to develop. To shore up the argument that education is important for Public Relations, I have come across a number of books dealing with the link between education and Public Relations and managed to collected some viewpoints from academics specialized in the Public Relations industry.
Glabe said (The Public Relations Handbook, P 380) among the five major public relations issues for the next decade is to have enough qualified staff and promoting PR as an attractive industry to college students. Further, Ralph Tench of Leeds Metropolitan University (Effective Public Relations, P 126) said that professionalization of the PR industry is key to the future and this inextricably linked to education. I believe that these two statements clearly highlight the importance of education for the industry and how education can help PR overcome professional challenges that might arise during work as well as develop the profession to have its won status like law, medicine…
Furthermore, James Gruning (Managing Public Relations, P81) said that “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 field”. In this regard, practitioners should be holders of a PR degree in order to get into the field, otherwise this industry will remain open to outsiders and even unregulated.
It is important to have a specialized course in PR, as this will help the profession have a sound academic reference, and will therefore expand research and knowledge which are the cornerstones for the development of any profession, notably for PR which continues to make significant strides in terms of expansion on the ground.
Finally, education is important and can be further enhanced by PR firms which can play a key role in the practical education process through the extensive internships they offer. I believe interns not only get invaluable experience but are one of the best ways to secure jobs. In such situation, we will have the required degree and the entry-level experience that employers are looking for!
Public Relations education: our future is banking on it.
я считаю: превосходно…