There is a talent crisis looming large in several fields and Public Relations in India is certainly one of them. I write about it often and certainly more than once a year. Unlike other professions, Public Relations is something you can excel in or fail miserably. Mediocrity gets seen early and those who survive are those who knew that they were cut out for a job in the field. Well, getting youngsters with aptitude is one thing but ensuring they have the right attitude to be retained for the mid to long term is another.

SCoRe has tried building a small pool of talent in the last two years with the right aptitude and attitude. SCoRe is funded by a few, but it was created to be an aggregator for the PR consultancies looking at a centralised training programme from where talent could be nurtured. There are five ways you can support the fostering of new talent if you are the leader of a PR firm or a corporate communications department.

1. Spot the talent – The best way to help is to encourage your friends, family, neighbours to consider PR as a career choice if you see they have a flair for the profession. If you are not sure, let me know by sending me a mail and happy to connect with the individual. All that the person needs is a liking for writing and the ability to connect with people. All the rest can be taught.
2. Support an information campaign – Connect with us to explore how we could jointly drive an information campaign either on your website, social media handles or even in third party media outlets stating that PR is a great career choice and SCoRe is a place where one can enrol in, in order to be equipped with the skills required to be a solid professional.
3. Sponsor a candidate – If you can invest anything ranging from Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.5 lakh to support a deserving aspirant that would work either as a scholarship or as an interest-free loan depending on what the candidate chooses on completion of the ten-month programme. If the candidate joins you and spends atleast two years this can be a scholarship. If not, they could pay back the amount.
4. Send an existing employee – If there is a young employee who is just a graduate and would benefit from a year-long programme and return to your organisation please talk to us to find the best way to work this out. We are located in Mumbai at the Kohinoor Business School campus in Kurla. We would be able to offer a great learning environment and send the employee back for the next level.
5. Suggest SCoRe to your interns – Several undergraduates intern at your organisation. If you are not absorbing them immediately, get them to sign up to the only school dedicated to the art and science of Public Relations. This way you will help in spreading the word and play a small role in the future of a budding PR professional.

My SCoRe email address is amith dot prabhu at scoreindia dot org. I appeal to you to reach out to me to find a solution to the talent crisis that is looming large. If we do not take the first step today, in a few years we will be struggling to find mid-level managers and then leaders for PR departments and PR firms. The time is now. Act before it is too late because indeed the talent crisis is looming large.

-Amith Prabhu

Amith is the Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe)- A post graduate institute of Public Relations built by the Indian PR community. He is also the founder of the PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS, India’s annual summit of reputation management professionals. He can be reached at @amithpr on twitter.