As artificial intelligence, digital media and changing employer expectations reshape the world of work, universities are being challenged to rethink what students need to succeed beyond the classroom. For the next generation of journalists, public relations practitioners, corporate communicators, content creators and digital media professionals, the skills required to enter, and thrive in, the industry are changing rapidly. The issue emerged during Brand Builders Live: The Future of PR, held in partnership with Red Stripe, where industry leaders examined the changing landscape of public relations, media and marketing in Jamaica.

Lecturer Coleen Douglas brings a particularly valuable perspective to that conversation. With nearly three decades of experience spanning media, marketing, public relations, government communications, education and the cultural and creative industries, she has experienced the evolution of the profession from multiple sides: as a practitioner, leader and educator. Douglas spent 11 years as Director of Marketing and Communications at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and now teaches Integrated Marketing Communications full-time at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech). She holds a BA in Literature in English, a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Education and a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, and is pursuing doctoral studies in Educational Leadership.

“Having worked in the industry and now teaching the next generation of practitioners, I see the conversation from both sides: what we are preparing students to do and what the workplace will actually demand of them,” Douglas says.

That intersection between industry experience and the classroom has given Douglas a clear view of how communications education must evolve while preserving the core skills on which the profession is built. 

The fundamentals still matter

One of the most significant shifts Douglas has witnessed is the blurring of traditional boundaries across the communications industry. Journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing and broadcasting once occupied relatively distinct spaces. Today, practitioners are increasingly expected to move across them.

That shift is also changing what employers expect of graduates. A young communications professional may be required to write compellingly, think strategically, develop multimedia content, manage social platforms, interpret analytics and advise organisations on how to engage different audiences, sometimes within the same role.

Yet even as the communications toolkit expands, Douglas cautions against allowing new technology and emerging skills to overshadow the fundamentals.

“Regardless of how many technological tools become available, communications professionals still need to be able to think clearly and communicate clearly,” she says.

Writing and research remain central to that foundation. Her years in both industry and the classroom have reinforced the importance of students learning to assess sources, verify facts, understand context, ask the right questions and turn information into insight. Easy access to information, she argues, is no substitute for knowing what to do with it.

The rise of artificial intelligence makes those abilities even more important. Technology can now produce polished content in seconds, but the person using it must still be able to recognise what is accurate, credible, relevant and appropriate for the audience.

That, Douglas argues, is where the fundamentals become even more valuable: students need a strong enough grounding in communications to question the technology, rather than simply accept what it produces..

Learning to use AI intelligently

AI is already part of the communications landscape, making its inclusion in education unavoidable. The challenge is ensuring students learn to use it without surrendering the judgement that must ultimately remain theirs.

“If you don’t understand what good writing looks like, how do you recognise poor AI-generated writing?” Douglas asks. “If you don’t know how to research, how do you know when AI has given you inaccurate information?” “If you don’t understand what good writing looks like, how do you recognise poor AI-generated writing?” Douglas asks. “If you don’t know how to research, how do you know when AI has given you inaccurate information?”

AI literacy, she argues, must therefore be paired with critical thinking. Students should understand how to use emerging technology while remaining responsible for the accuracy, ethics and effectiveness of what they produce.

The question is not simply whether graduates can use AI, but whether they understand communications well enough to know when and how to use it.

From classroom to workplace

Practical experience is equally important.

UTech has a longstanding tradition of work-integrated learning, with students gaining exposure through internships, projects, campaigns, productions and assignments that require them to apply classroom learning.

That experience is particularly valuable in communications, where deadlines shift, plans change and practitioners must work with clients, colleagues and audiences with different expectations.

Employers are also looking beyond technical skills. Resilience, adaptability, professionalism, collaboration, initiative and the ability to receive feedback are increasingly important.

“Being work ready is not simply knowing how to complete a task,” Douglas says. “It is being able to work with people, navigate challenges and adapt to unfamiliar situations.”

Preparing for what comes next

As communications programmes continue to evolve, Douglas sees the traditional foundations- writing, research, communications theory, ethics, audience analysis and strategic thinking- remaining essential. 

Those foundations, however, must increasingly be complemented by AI literacy, data and analytics, multimedia storytelling, content strategy, audience engagement and entrepreneurship. Students would also benefit from greater exposure to technology, business, design, entertainment and culture, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of the industry.

The ultimate goal, however, should extend beyond preparing students for their first job.

“If we train students only for the tools being used today, those tools may be obsolete in five years,” Douglas says. “If we develop thinkers who can learn, question, adapt and solve problems, they are much better prepared for whatever comes next.”

Preparing the next generation cannot be the responsibility of universities alone. Industry must help academia remain connected to emerging workplace needs, while universities must equip students with the foundations and adaptability to build careers that may evolve considerably over their working lives.

For the next generation of communications professionals, some of their greatest advantages may ultimately be the qualities technology cannot easily replicate: judgement, creativity, curiosity, cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence and strategic thinking.

The future of communications education, then, is not about chasing every new technological development. It is about producing professionals with strong foundations, sound judgement and the capacity to keep learning, people equipped not simply for the communications industry of today, but for whatever it becomes next.