Communication skills have shifted from being considered desirable professional skills to core employability skills within the Indian workforce paradigm. This has been recognized by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Annual Report 2023-24, which lists communication as an important element under the rubric of "digital, professional, & life skills.” This policy model is embodied in the “Employability Skills” component of the Government of India’s Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS), which was launched in 1950 and is compulsory in every vocational trade. This component deals with communication skills, basic English, career development, professionalism in the 21st century, constitutional values, digital awareness, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and preparedness for employment/apprenticeship. The message is clear: communication is more than a skill in the creative or media industry; it is an intrinsic skill for professionals.

Recent instances in the aviation sector of India, as well as in the technology industry, have depicted how poor communication can lead to severe situations in organisational operations. When things went sour in the aviation sector, an assortment of businesses found themselves unable to effectively communicate with their clients, employees, and other stakeholders. Communication with the public was poor, leading to public discontent. In such instances, analysts pointed out, the damage to the brand had often occurred not because of the failure in the product but because of the failure of the organisation to manage the story properly. Matters such as this prove that the skill of communicating in the present day encompasses many qualities beyond the skill of media training.

In the past decade, the field of communications has experienced a structural shift. Communications professionals no longer find themselves only writing press releases and handling media relations. They are required by the organization to:

·         Contributing to executive decisions

·         Managing different stakeholder groups

·         Interpret audience and digital performance data

·         Engaging in crisis communication, reputation management, and leading others

Communication has increasingly been entwined within concepts of leadership, analytical functions, technology, and organisational strategy. Communication has thereby assumed a managerial, consultative, as opposed to merely operational or creative function.

Such initiatives by the government and assessment of the labour market always point to the skill gap between what is acquired academically and what is expected at the workplace. Though students acquire theoretical knowledge, there are always gaps with regard to:

·         applied professional communication,

·         cross-functional collaboration,

·         strategic thinking, and organizational readiness

In fact, this gap is quite apparent in positions that involve corporate communication, public affairs, brand management, and online strategy, where business acumen is important.

Journalism and media communication courses have a very important role in shaping   democratic media ecosystems. They offer great grounding in:

·         reporting and storytelling

·         Media ethics

·         writing and broadcasting, and

·         multimedia production.

These courses train students for the practice of the professions of the news media, publishing, advertisement, and broadcasting, which all have high demands for narrative ability. However, their academic focus is mostly media-oriented. Even though they acquire excellent skills in content creation and production, they tend to less often be exposed to:

·         business strategy

·         organisational communication planning,

·         performance analytics, and

Models of leadership development connecting to consecutively, new entrants from these institutions often need training in order to adjust their skills in an office environment.

Traditional communication programmes are not structured to treat communication as an embedded management function within organisational systems. Industry roles, however, increasingly demand professionals who can:

• evaluate communication outcomes,

• manage reputational and operational crises,

• interpret digital metrics and audience data, and

• align messaging with institutional objectives and governance structures.

National employability frameworks reinforce this distinction by positioning communication as a professional competency that must operate within structured organisational environments, not merely as a technical or expressive ability.

Journalism programmes primarily prepare students for content-driven and media-sector roles. In contrast, communication management programmes align more closely with careers in:

• corporate communication,

• public affairs and policy communication,

• internal communication and employee engagement,

• strategic consulting, and

• brand and reputation management

These roles directly influence organisational performance, stakeholder trust, and long-term brand equity—areas that require managerial competence as much as communication expertise.

As communication develops from being purely a support function to a strategic organisational capability, the difference between media-focused education and management-oriented communication training is bound to become more marked. Journalism and mass communication programmes continue to be vital for the continuity of media institutions and creative industries. However, these programmes alone may not be adequate for effectively preparing graduates to perform at the strategic levels in corporations, government bodies, and other complex organisations. In the case of students and professionals who opt for postgraduate pathways, the choice has to be informed by career intentions. Those who would like to operate within a corporate, institutional, or policy-driven environment might find a stronger appeal in programmes that bring together communication with management and leadership training. The increasing policy focus on employability skills underlines a more general reality: communication today is not simply a question of expression; it is a key strategic competence in terms of organizational success in the contemporary economy.

This article is by Prof. Shiv Shankar Das, Dean, Birla School of Communication, Birla Global University.