Isabelle François will be part of the first batch of degree holders in Mass Communication Studies delivered by Curtin University and its local partner, Charles Telfair Institute. ?When it was time for me to start tertiary studies three years ago, I realised that communication would surely be given a boost in the coming years. As I consider myself as having quite an outgoing personality, I seized the opportunity given by Charles Telfair and started the degree course.? And obviously, Isabelle made the right choice. Communication and media is becoming a ?fully professionalised area?, as Roukaya Kasenally, the head of the communication and media department at the University of Mauritius, commented.

A few years back, communication, media or journalism used to be fields where new recruits ?were learning on the job?, explained Roukaya Kasenally. ?However, in the last decade in the world and about six years in Mauritius, it has been tending to become a real career-oriented environment.? In an increasingly mediated world, it appeared important to have a discipline in itself to cater for those wanting to embrace a career in those fields.

?In Mauritius there is an acute lack of professionals in that demanding sector,? said Touria Prayag, the head of the Humanities and Communication Faculty at Charles Telfair Institute. Many companies feel the need of setting up a department in communication ? which did not exist a few years back. This year, Charles Telfair has enrolled 25 new students in Mass Communication. ?Obviously that is not enough to meet the market demand but the interest for the field is quite recent,? Touria Prayag highlights.

By October, the private institution will be launching a new tailor-made programme for people already working in the sector but who need to acquire specific skills (see inset). For Touria Prayag, ?communication is the basis for any professional development. Up to now, a weakness for languages has not really enabled people to earn a decent living. Communication appears as a way of satisfying one?s passion while being perfectly employable?.

This is why the programme for the institute?s bachelor degree is quite vast. The areas of study are Internet policy and culture, journalism, marketing, public relations, creative advertising design and photography. The course offers an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in two or more related fields of study at the intersection of media, information and communication technologies.

In his second year, Madhav Meetarbhan chose marketing and the Internet as his two major subjects. ?Marketing involves lots of research and theory while the Internet was of interest for me because it is modern and part of the latest technologies.? He has however kept the other modules as minors to his course. But even though he enjoyed his placement in a newspaper a lot, Madhav intends to go into marketing after his studies.

?The courses here also provide a hands-on approach with media cases and strategies to work upon, the creation of a website as well as a corporate communication campaign for instance,? he highlights. Madhav could have chosen to do a degree in marketing but he explains why he did not. ?I wanted to do something which would broaden up my horizons. And this degree definitely helped me to be in touch with various fields.?

Roukaya Kasenally also thinks that training in communication can offer a ?wide spectrum of jobs?. She confirms that this degree is one of the most valued by students of the UoM because it provides ?full-fledged development?. As a ?fully integrated area, it opens up new avenues for students in journalism, business communication or public relations,? adds the head of department at the UoM.

For her as well, the field of communication has a bright future ahead, as it is one of the most ?sought-after programmes?. In a ?service-oriented island like ours, we must have standards of service,? she says. This is probably why the university is working on developing a Masters programme in this field in the years to come. ?It will give additional value to our undergraduate programme and will open up on research.?

The courses offered by the UoM target those who are already employed as well as a quota of fresh school leavers. They include academic skills as well as work placements. She made it clear, ?Media and communication is a field which is between academic and professional areas so we try to rally both aspects in our courses so as to give a rounded type of experience to students.?

Isabelle would sum up her courses as a place ?where one can express oneself?. For her who has an extroverted personality and desire to reach out to people, she has already chosen her speciality. As soon as she finishes her degree, she would like to work in public relations. She should not have too much difficulty finding a job in a field that is definitely gaining ground?

THE ?COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE PROGRAMME?

Charles Telfair Institute is launching its new part-time employee development programme in October. ?This programme was born after a diagnosis of the marketing department that there was a demand for communication skills from companies,? reveals Touria Prayag. It involves eight modules ? Principles of Sound Communication, Effective Listening, Presentation Skills and non-verbal communication, efficient business writing, E-communication, conducting productive meetings, sound interpersonal skills, conflict resolution and team work ? but the institute is thinking of adding two more in French. The whole programme costs Rs 60,000 and spans over eight months. ?This programme is geared towards corporate management and targets the middle management or anyone aspiring to become a middle-manager,? the head of department pointed out. Besides the linguistic skills, the programme will also include the technical aspects of internal and external communication. ?This programme has been designed with the workplace in mind. It focuses on real communication problems which are encountered in the office environment and how to understand and eventually eliminate them.? The students will be tested by continuous assessment with workshops and an oral presentation on video.