media update’s Adam Wakefield spoke to Rene Benecke, PRISA committee member and senior lecturer in the Department of Strategic Communication at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), about how tertiary institutions and the industry work together for both graduate and agency benefit.

As a senior lecturer in the Department of Strategic Communication at UJ, which courses do you lecture?

This year, I’m lecturing Strategic Communication 2, Communication Management for Honours, and Public Relations Practice 3, which is our applied module. This module requires PR and Communication students to spend five or six months working in the industry in order to qualify with their diploma. The relevance of my lecturing load really culminates in demonstrating the process in implementing work integrated learning programmes. I coordinate the placements, their learning outcomes, and the assessment of their e-portfolios at the end of the module.

Apart from being a senior lecturer at UJ, you also sit on the board of PRISA. How useful it is for you to have a direct stake in how public relations is administered by the industry in South Africa, and how useful it is for PRISA to have a connection with a tertiary institution that produces new PR professionals?

My involvement with PRISA has been for a number of years as CPRP – Chartered Public Relations Practitioner – and chair of the education, training, and research committee. This committee was given a portfolio on the board in 2016, enabling us to have a direct influence in academic accreditation, development of future practitioners, research focus, and development of a body of knowledge for SA practitioners.

What do you think are the biggest inhibitors for your graduates when they enter the industry, and how best is UJ seeking to counter this problem?

The biggest challenge is to have partners in the industry who understand young people, where they come from and their challenges, and who are willing to invest time in sharing their knowledge with them.

The students are really, like all of us when we started, only familiar with the reality of formal studies. And, often, find it difficult to integrate theory with practice. Transforming the experiences from a formal academic context to a different context is challenging for all.

We prepare them from their 1st year to understand themselves better and during 2nd year we introduce them, through service learning modules, to different social issues and let them test their skills in developing communication solutions for these. During the 3rd year, they are placed with industry partners to complete a work integrated learning (WIL) module, which is a pre-requisite for their diploma qualification.

What changes in habit, technology use, and instruction have you noticed with your students from those you taught five years ago?

Young people are desperate to succeed at their studies and find a position that pays well. They are willing to work hard at something when they can see the results. Technology is second nature, but developing relevant content is something much more challenging.

They require us to be connected to their worlds, to be willing to listen, and show interest and respect to their experiences and their context. They do not want a download of information, or a talking head without context and relevance to current situations. They like challenges - even if they initially question their value. That's where feedback from other graduates is very valuable.

How often do you assess your curriculum to ensure it stays up-to-date?

It’s our responsibility to read widely, do continuous development as per environmental demands, be active researchers, and write for both popular and academic publications. I personally believe in having industry involvement through ''academic internships' or other continuing professional development programmes.

We also have an academic advisory committee consisting of accredited Public Relations Practitioners (Accredited in Public Relations Practitioner) and other academics who review our curriculum regularly. An external moderator structure allows for quality assurance as well as curriculum development.

What are the most essential skills graduates need to learn today to be relevant in the industry?

Graduates, diploma and degree, should understand that they are required to add value. They need to be guided in the testing of their social media skills, writing and content development, critical analysis of social issues, and the development of solutions. This needs to be a continuous process facilitated by both academia and industry.

This will not only ensure the relevance of curricula but also the realistic view of students' abilities and place in the industry. There should not be a statement such as "let me show you the real world". Understanding and adjusting to context is key and should be developed. Educational programmes need to ensure that students are taught how to learn reflectively, solve problems, and recognise opportunities.

For more information, visit www.uj.ac.za

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Among the many issues discussed at the The Holmes Report In2 Innovation Summit, keeping talent in the industry was one of them. Read more in our article, The Holmes Report In2 Innovation Summit brings communications together.