Education and PR

"Success is determined by personal contacts, public relations qualifications are irrelevant ."

I was on the team that supported this moot, here were some of our arguments:

-persons enter the field from different backgrounds other than public relations namely : liberal arts degrees such as english and journalism and social sciences.

-many people in the industry view PR as a practical practise and so are skeptical about the idea of being taught at universities.

-public relations is becoming increasingly competivity , now ranking as one of the top three most popular in the UK, so graduates have to stand from the crowd. Thus having education isn't enough.

Enough said although my team established that PR education is not necessarily required to obtain a job in PR we had to concede that it is important . Education helps to establish the practise as a worthy profession . In fact Ehling( 1992) asserts that there is a direct link between public relations education and professionalism. He further states, that 'education is the primary means for providing the necessary knowledge and skills needed to fulfil the tasks and responsiblities of any public relations activity.'(pg 339). PR education also has the ability contribute to the profession by increasing knowledge of ethics. This as we know increases standing of the profession.

As was said, by studying PR we are sending a message to future employers that we are serious about it. For this course in particular the practical courses will prove especially useful to those who have no work experience .
My conclusions are that education in PR gives the student a distinct advantage and knowledge to contribute to the upliftment of the profession.

Ehling W.( 1992) .Excellence in Public Relations and Communication.Lawerence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.