Writing in the Communication Initiative Network blog, author Caroline Hungwe of Tanzania argues that college graduates are ill-prepared for communication for development (C4D) careers.

"Every year universities channel out Journalism/Public Relations/Marketing graduates who then get C4D jobs in UN or international NGOs etc... These graduates are often lacking knowledge and skills for application of C4D strategies. As such there is a gap that exists between the academia and field.The challenge is that in most cases the targeted beneficiaries end up with knowledge about the existence of a certain project /programme in their area, but this does not translate to change in practices.

Well-trained human resource is key to making a case for C4D budget lines at proposal development, and this will help to upscale C4D in the field. They can contextualize issues and help answer questions such as “what can the beneficiary do with what they have physically, financially, academically and socially at their disposal".