Head to Head: Can higher education really train future PR executives?

I am currently a 3rd year university student completing my PR degree and couldn’t agree more with Rob’s argument that the media landscape is continually changing and that the best PR experience you can have is on the job. I started working at a PR agency 6 months into my degree and it was the best decision in preparing for my future career.

At university, I’ve been spending thousands of dollars on being taught how to be digitally literate by someone that hasn’t worked in the media for over 20 years. I learnt more about PR in 3 months at an agency, over my entire first year of my degree. While I do believe that higher education is necessary for some people, PR students need to be forward thinkers and constantly adapting to change and culture. Agency life has taught me that better than anything else and if there wasn’t so much pressure on having that piece of paper to justify that you can do something, I’d be out of uni tomorrow and building my campaign portfolio.

Learning how to learn is one of higher education’s key roles. Jenny’s views are my own. I don’t think anyone would argue that a workplace is where the skills are consolidated, and where the hard-yakka of a job plays out. I also wouldn’t argue that a Degree in any area of communications is mandatory. However, thinking strategically and critically are skills more readily learned in an academic setting, and where curiosity and enquiry is more likely to be fostered and encouraged. I did a BA at Sydney Uni back in the late 80’s without an inkling that I’d end up in PR/Comms. London School of Public Relations was an eye-opener and a Journalist’s Certificate at NYU was a brilliant way to understand the other side learning from the top guns. Dipping into, and engaging with the learning process should be a life-long commitment so that refreshed thinking can be applied on the job. I’ll take Rob’s side in the sense that a PR Degree may fall short in the relevance stakes and be too broad to have any real value, but if we want to nurture PR professionals who have the ability to think creatively and strategically, a couple of years of campus time gets the thumbs up from me.

As Australia’s only PR industry accredited vocational training organisation, we feel compelled to comment. At HSPR we strongly support the role universities play in developing critical thinking skills, embracing a global perspective, working collaboratively and developing a greater understanding of the communications industry. A university qualification is most definitely considered a benefit on any applicant’s CV.

That said, the learning that can only be gained from real-life, real-time practical experience is perhaps a candidate’s greatest asset. In fact, HSPR programs are designed to deliver exactly the skills and tools that simply can’t be covered in the classroom. With all due respect to university educators, there are certain skills one can only learn ‘on the job’. This is not PR-specific and is true across all occupations – professional and vocational.

In an ideal scenario, we’d see critical PR vocational skills embedded in all relevant university programs; explained by current experts in their field; played out in real-world examples; and expert guidance on applying what’s been learned to a real-life, real-time response to brief.

In our industry, the learning never stops. We rely on dedicated PD programs to help practitioners maintain currency, acquire new skills and apply their learning in the dynamic day to day of PR practice. It’s a constant state for anyone working in the communications industry. And it applies equally to both new and experienced practitioners as well as to educators and their students.

Rather than the constant job readiness ‘skirmish’ between industry and educators, can’t we just work together to deliver the ultimate combination of higher education and practical skills?

As chairperson of the Institute’s Education Community Committee (ECC) and coordinator of a PR degree, I feel compelled to add to the discussion above. I am rather dismayed that the original focus in the opinion piece has been taken away from public relations as a multi-faceted profession to the rather narrow focus of media relations. Public relations has always been about so much more than “cleverly worded releases and press office strategies”. And this is exactly what we teach our students! No doubt, aptitude, attitude, academic abilities and levels of creativity vary between individuals, but they graduate with a solid understanding that there is much more to public relations than “cleverly worded releases and press office strategies”. Tools come and go. They evolve. But they are just that: tools! The basics haven’t changed that much. Public relations is about engagement, it’s about listening, about collaboration, strategy, critical thinking – AND creativity. These are the tools we teach our students as part of our PR program. Our aim is much bigger than ensuring graduates can ‘hit the ground running’ and fill a current ‘skills gap’. Our focus is on equipping future leaders with critical thinking and lifelong learning skills that will enable them to move well beyond that first job. (Please note that I do recognise that employers perform a crucial role in that process in terms of providing opportunities to grow, appropriate professional development and mentoring).

The ECC has just undertaken a thorough review of the PRIA accreditation criteria and process. In addition to alignment with the Institute’s professional framework, one of the core elements of the accreditation has always been an emphasis on work integrated learning. Most public relations academics have a solid background in practice. In addition, we draw on the expertise of industry experts – in the form of advisory panels and as guest speakers. At Curtin, every single unit is either structured around a real-life client or campaign, or draws heavily on real life case studies, guest speakers and interviews with industry experts (in most cases it is a combination of all those). Students pitch their ideas to their real life clients – many of which are adopted. They also gain valuable, critical, real time feedback on their work. Motivated students chose to put their skills into practice by getting involved in our PR student chapter, the PRSC, which runs a number of events ranging from seminars and debates, to fundraisers and the high profile PR in Fashion event, a collaboration with Curtin’s design students. Furthermore, all our students are required to complete an industry placement prior to graduation, in which they reflect on their learning and compare & contrast insights gained during their degree to their internship experience. However, from experience I know that especially our best and brightest have gained a wealth of experience by the time they graduate – on campus, as well as through additional volunteering, internship and work opportunities in their own time. Obviously, these are Curtin specific examples. However, I know that my colleagues at other universities run equally practice orientated programs.

It’s time that we challenge the outdated perception of what a public relations degree entails – and how it is delivered. Higher education in isolation isn’t going to train future PR executives, managers or directors. However, together with industry we can take our profession forward, well beyond the narrow understanding of PR as media relations.

Yes it does! If I had to choose the most beneficial learning/growing component of my communication career, it would most definitely be my university degree. And I chose to do that after 15 years of solid, practical experience working with some pretty brilliant, creative people. Dismissing education is a great display of ignorance. Especially if you are not educated — ie. you don’t know what you’re missing.

Higher education can be a great booster for PR because you get to interact with various professionally experienced faculty members and have a legit way of gaining structured learning from them. I completely agree with Rob on this so thank you for sharing this information.