Public Relations Career Course Institutions in India and Abroad

Public Relations is a function of management. It involves monitoring and evaluating public attitudes and relating organisational policy and procedures to the interest of the community, to gain its understanding and acceptance.

Work in this field is essentially in the nature of a consultancy and the implementation of a strategy to develop relationships with sections of the public, whose support and goodwill is necessary to the success of a venture. The main objective is to create a positive image of a company, organisation or activity.

Public Relations executives can find employment in diverse areas, including the corporate sector, public sector, government departments, the tourism / hospitality industry, advertising agencies and market research organisations, social work organisations, etc

Work

The work done by most public relations officers is mainly that of liaison between the company and clients ; press relations ; information dissemination ; dealing with consumer relations in complaint cells ; organisation of and participation in fairs and exhibitions ; arranging for sponsorships ; image building for the particular organisation ; and so on.

Entry

Although it is possible to get a job in public relations without any formal training, candidates who specialise in the field face better prospects.

Eligibility

Public relations is generally available as a postgraduate diploma course. So, the basic eligibility is a Bachelor's degree in any discipline, preferably with social sciences, liberal arts and humanities subjects. Most training programmes in Advertising also includes public relations.

Leading Institutions in India
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore).

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), JNU campus, New Delhi.

St. Xaviers College of Communications, Mumbai.

Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai.

KC college of Management, Mumbai.

Personal Attributes Required

An attractive personality ; a liking for people ; sociability ; ability to get along with all kinds of people ; courtesy and good manners ; a calm temperament ; ability to stay polite even under provocation / pressure ; ability to speak and write well ; imagination ; enterprise ; initiative ; good news sense ; sense of salesmanship ; tact ; good organising ability; ability to take quick decisions and to find immediate solutions if matters go awry.

Job Prospects
Public relations officers can work in the following areas-
The corporate sector, Public sector,
Government agencies,
Tourist agencies,
Hotels,
Banks and financial institutions,
Private consultancy firms,
Part time work for non-commercial organisations.