Professional communication essential to Vietnam’s development

As international businesses continue to flock to Viet Nam to capitalize on market opportunities, many companies will need to recruit communication experts to help get products and services noticed by the public.

Graeme Domm, Director of Communications of RMIT International University Viet Nam, had a talk with Thanh Nien Daily about a new communications academic program that the institution will launch in the next couple of months.

What made RMIT decide to develop this program?

Graeme Domm: We are developing this program because we believe there is strong demand not only in Vietnam but across this region for graduates who have strong skills in professional communication – especially in areas like advertising and public relations.

How do you evaluate the current public relations (PR) and communications sectors in Viet Nam – in terms of supply and demand?

- Our research into the industry in Viet Nam suggests that the supply of skilled graduates in professional communication areas remains very low, and employers often have tohire from overseas or take graduates from other fields for retraining.

We don’t believe this is an effective situation as Viet Nam should be able to produce a viable source of skilled graduates in this area.

The demand from employers, particularly from international and domestic companies that wish to operate in the international marketplace, is high.

How do you evaluate Vietnamese companies’ perception of PR?

The perception of PR among Vietnamese companies appears mixed.

Some firms have a strong appreciation of the value that PR can add to the success of their operations.

Others are striving to learn more about PR techniques as practiced in other countries to judge how useful they may be in the Vietnamese context.

Overall, I think there is a growing level of curiosity and interest.

As economic competition increases, we believe it is likely that companies’ interest in gaining an “edge” through more effective communication strategies with key stakeholders will grow rapidly.

Can you predict the PR and communications sector from now until 2010? Will it grow, or encounter any particular challenges?

We expect the PR and communications sector to grow fast in the coming years.

While there may be fluctuations due to varying economic conditions, the overall trend will climb in our view.

This has certainly been the case in countries around the world in recent years, as effective communication becomes more important to the ongoing success of enterprises of all kinds.

How much does RMIT predict a graduate would make in his first few years after completing the academic program?

It is possible for new graduates to earn VND6-7 million (US$360-$420) per month, and in almost all cases incomes will rise quickly during the first two to three years after graduation.

So the most important issue is not just the starting salary, but the fact that graduates – if they work hard and show talent – will have the potential to multiply their incomes more rapidly than they would in other fields.

Is it good value for individuals to enroll in the program?

Taking into account income potential, it’s potentially good value to invest in such an academic program.

The cost of tuition can be repaid many times over during the early career of a graduate.

But it must be stressed that progress in a professional communications career depends on talent and hard work, and no university degree can serve as an automatic “meal ticket.” For this reason, our efforts will be focused on ensuring that our graduates are as well prepared and “employable” as possible, and in a position to make the most of the career and its earnings potential.

What happens after graduation depends on the fit between graduates and employers.

But we will work hard to prepare them for success.

What is the key message you would like to impart to the future students of the program?

We think it is a challenge for us to ensure that we foster the highest standards of excellence and ethical conduct among our students and graduates.

One of the key messages for our students is that they must protect the long-term reputation of the organizations they work for as well as their own professional reputations.

They must resist expedient solutions to the issues they may face.

It is a challenge to play an instrumental role in helping to ensure that professionals in fields like advertising and public relations maintain a strong commitment to fair, transparent and ethical conduct in their work. (TN)