"We Need More Attractive Training Offerings"

Little by little, print shops are running out of new blood. How can talented employees be won and their development fostered in a purposeful manner? Top-class experts discussed various approaches to this question at the Print Media Academy's (PMA) second International Educational Summit.

The print industry is growing. However, as the participants of the second PMA Educational Summit last year in Singapore reported, print shops in many countries can only profit from this boom to a limited extent since they lack qualified personnel. Particularly in industrial countries, the average age of workers within the branch is on the rise and the resulting problems are threatening operations. In Germany, for example, 40 percent of managers are 55 years old or older. So what can be done?

Improve the branch's image
Bernd Schopp, Head of the PMA, sees an image problem in the industry. According to Schopp, the still widespread "skilled worker" image no longer corresponds to the reality: "Expertise in both, technology and business, as well as creative abilities, are needed in the print industry today. The industry and educational institutions need to communicate how highly attractive the printing profession is better than they have done it in the past."

To bring about this image change, Robert Black, Director of the  International Centre of Graphic Technology at RMIT University in Brunswick, Australia, says we have to go directly and engage with the schools on a number of levels. With the support of the print industry, and as a first step, his Centre distributes a promotional video to schools. The video presents the typical high-tech workday in a print shop and illustrates the important role of print for society and the economy.

Future-oriented curriculum
Participants also see a need to act due to rapid changes in technology. Educational institutions and universities have to adjust their offerings constantly and open up to new topics like information technology and "printed electronics" (for ex. RFID labels). Martina Brand, Head of Marketing at the PMA, emphasizes that these topics - which at first appear to be part of completely different industries - are an opportunity to win new groups of students: "We urgently need the print media industry to attract students from other fields."

Today, an excellent knowledge of printing alone is no longer enough to be successful. It's therefore important to focus more heavily on teaching management skills," says Manoel Manteigas de Oliveira, Director of the Brazilian Escola SENAI Theobaldo De Nigris in São Paulo. Additionally, topics like law, logistics and customer acquisition should also form a part of the curriculum. "After all, the task is to prepare students to work in various areas and companies," says Sue Pandit, Dean of the London College of Communication, University of Arts, United Kingdom.

"Study printing to see the world"
"We have to develop an attractive curriculum which opens up global perspectives to students early on during their education," reminds Schopp. According to Prof. Frank Cost, Associate Dean and Co-Director of the Printing Industry Center at the American Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the tag line "Study Printing to See the World" is therefore a core message which needs to be pushed. In order to boost worldwide career opportunities, the educational institutions want to establish an international exchange of knowledge and harmonize curriculum contents, as the German Hochschule der Medien (HdM) in Stuttgart and the English London College of Communication are already doing.

Continuing evening education
Dr. Aran Hansuebsai, Head of the Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, in the Faculty of Science at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, is calling for more evening classes. This is the only way businesses can keep up with the increasingly shorter innovation cycles, for example in printing machines and software, and quickly transform innovations into productivity increases. The success of the evening courses in Prof. Hansuebsais' department demonstrates how important it is to customize training for the individual needs of working participants. Because the participants decide the class' topics, they achieve a high level of practical applicability.

New ways of imparting knowledge
To help speed and improve the transfer of knowledge, the American RIT created the free "Encyclopedia of Print" ( http://printwiki.org/FrontPage) modeled on Wikipedia. "All contents can be used free of charge," reports Prof. Cost. If people from all educational institutions add to the information, the "PrintWiki" could develop into a valuable source of information for training in the print industry. In addition, RIT also offers distance learning over the internet. At the Brazilian SENAI, some trainees also save themselves the commute to the classroom. The school uses converted buses equipped with small printing presses to hold training sessions and seminars across the country.

Strengthen cooperation with the industry
SENAI also proves exemplary in its cooperation with the industry. In close coordination with businesses, courses are designed to teach practical skills as well as theory. In return, the school receives support in equipping itself with machines or software. Bernd Schopp, Head of the PMA, encourages strengthened cooperation with his institution since it not only ensures access to modern equipment but also to experienced experts in the branch. One innovative pilot project is the "Print Media Management" training course offered by the London College of Communication in cooperation with the PMA. Graduates have good chances on the job market - a weighty argument, as Schopp emphasizes. He says, "The print industry offers truly excellent prospects for the future in terms of pay and job security."