By Robert Ekat (Nigeria)
Senior PR and communications Adviser, ID Africa
The foundation of all professions in the world is proper training. For instance, a medical doctor will not possess spectacular healing talents if there is a defect in training. In the same vein, to have a robust Public Relations industry with raving professionals, there is a need for a critical review of the training process in higher institutions and professional bodies.
Suffice it to say that the teaching process in Africa’s higher institutions is grossly inadequate to send off practitioners who are ready and fit to assume PR and Communications duties. While a review of the curriculum reveals extensive coverage of theories and concepts, only robust inclusion of more practical strategies like roleplaying, simulation, industrial attachment and the sorts can prepare students sufficiently for the dynamic PR and Communications workplace.
It has become commonplace to find graduates of PR and Communications, with virtually no clue of what is required of them as practitioners. One may be surprised to find that these people often possess requisite certificates from professional bodies. This is not just a problem for employers, but for students as well who are often left to wonder what the practice of their learned profession truly entails.
With this background, one may wonder where the amazing African practitioners in the industry have come from, because, indeed, there are skilled Public Relations practitioners in Africa, helping businesses within and outside the continent. While it may be an academic exercise to trace the origin, it is common knowledge that the industry trains its practitioners in the course of work. This is a glaring finding that can serve as a solution to the talents’ conundrum, as it presents an opportunity for unifying both theory and practice – the missing piece.
Most higher institutions in Africa have restricted teaching to scholars alone, as the minimum requirement, in most cases, is the attainment of a Doctorate. While this attempts to set a standard, it cuts off practising knowledge, as scholars usually do not practise, and practitioners hardly ever strive for PhDs. Therefore, whatever strategy brings these two groups together in the classroom, will yield immense benefits to the students. There is a need for liberalisation of the rules guiding teaching in higher institutions to allow practitioners without Doctorate degrees, but who are certified members of professional bodies, to teach.
One problem with the status quo is that a lot of the knowledge in the industry does not get to the classroom and curriculum, and as a result, students do not benefit from them. The schooling system continually recycles knowledge that, in most cases, the industry has left behind.
Also, one would assume that professional institutions are better designed to absorb inputs from practitioners, thus preparing students better for the workplace. Reality betrays this notion, as while they are more practice-focused in their approach to training, there are just too many loose ends that fail to sufficiently serve.
It is pertinent to note that the schools have realised the enormous benefits of partnering with industry players, hence the industrial attachment system. In most higher institutions in Africa, students are attached to organisations for a period (usually six months) to learn the practice of the profession. This system has not served the PR and Communications industry well for some reasons; poor monitoring of students by the school administrators, difficulty in getting accepted by most PR and Communications companies, and lots more.
In recent years, the PR and Communications industry has witnessed a tremendous inflow of innovative technologies. Hence, it is no longer limited to strategic thinking and the ability to write and speak. The school system has the enormous work of preparing students for the technological workplace. Again, schools should liaise more with practitioners to determine digital tools that aid the practice and introduce the students to these tools such as AMEC Framework, Plaqad, Coschedule, Trello, Mediatoolkit and lots more. These tools help to plan, monitor, analyse and report work. Without these tools, the practice of PR and Communications will be disorganised, unmeasurable and offer less value to clients.
Furthermore, as we consider grooming students for work in the PR and Communications industry, a regard for research and data needs to be ingrained in them. The profession is now such that a mere qualitative approach no longer suffices. As clients are beginning to demand more value for money, PR and Communications practitioners are digging deep into quantitative approaches to show the value of their work. For this reason, students must be made to understand that research is not just a prerequisite for the attainment of a degree, but a fundamental element for the practice of PR and Communications. Hence, they must be taught the principles, rudiments and values guiding research, and made to undertake it without cutting corners, as has been the case for many.
In conclusion, there should be more focus on preparing students for PR and Communications practice, as there is a wide gap between training and practice. More so, the gap between practitioners and academia needs to be bridged to extract valuable insights for students, in their desire to become valuable practitioners. The opportunities in the industry are humongous, and with proper training, business owners, potential practitioners and other stakeholders will rip bountiful benefits.