International training initiative gets under way
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is committed to
helping vocational schools, colleges and universities that provide
print media industry training in the emerging markets of India,
Turkey, South Africa, and Ukraine. A special advanced training
course for teachers and lecturers at these establishments should
significantly improve the training available in these countries so
that they are able to satisfy the requirements of the international
print media industry. The initiative kicked off in Münster,
where a group of Indian teachers have started their training.
The first of a total of four training cycles started on
Monday, April 7 with the arrival of ten Indian vocational school
teachers as part of a PPP (Public Private Partnership) between the
Print Media Academy (PMA) of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and the
investment and development company Deutsche Investitions- und
Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG). India, Turkey, South Africa and
Ukraine have been selected to take part in the pilot project. If it
proves a success, the project will be extended to other countries.
The initiative is a response to the fact that printing
industry training in many emerging markets is still inadequate and
not sufficiently geared to modern technologies. Bernd Schopp, Head
of the PMA, explained that teachers were falling short in terms of
both theoretical knowledge and practical know-how, and the teaching
materials and equipment in the establishments were outmoded. He
added that, comparatively speaking, there was great growth
potential for the printing sector in these countries and pointed
out that, although modern equipment was increasingly being used by
print shops, the quality of the print products only rarely met
international standards. This, he said, was due in no small part to
inadequately trained staff and incorrect press operation.
"As a world market leader in offset printing, we take
our responsibility towards the industry and our customers very
seriously. By narrowing or eliminating the gap that exists in
emerging markets between the increasingly high-tech equipment of
many print shops and the specialist know-how of skilled personnel,
we are looking to make a major contribution to the long-term
advancement of the print media industry," stated Dr.
Jürgen Rautert, Director for Engineering and Manufacturing at
Heidelberg.
Under the initiative, ten printing and media teachers at
vocational schools in each country will take part in a four-week
intensive course in Germany to learn about the latest printing
industry technologies and modern teaching methods. Participants
will also be given up-to-date training materials. On their return
to their own countries, they will incorporate what they have learnt
into their teaching and also pass on their newly acquired knowledge
to other trainers, thereby efficiently implementing the
train-the-trainer principle. Heidelberg will provide the teachers
with further local support through its branches in the relevant
countries, thereby ensuring that the training initiative brings
sustained benefits.
The Indian teachers were the first group to start their
training, which started on Monday and will continue until April 30.
Further courses for the remaining participants will follow in the
fall.
Groups will complete the first part of the course at the
Vocational Training Center of the Münster Chamber of Crafts
and Skilled Trades (HBZ). Here they will obtain theoretical
knowledge and practical know-how across the entire production chain
- from prepress and press to postpress. Further topics will include
occupational safety and working with substances that are harmful to
the environment. The HBZ is equipped with state-of-the-art presses
and therefore offers ideal conditions for the practical part of the
course. During the final week of training, participants will learn
about the latest printing trends and technologies and contemporary
teaching methods at the PMA in Heidelberg.
There were over 300 applications from the four emerging
markets for the 40 places on the course. Independent local steering
committees selected the successful applicants based on a number of
fixed criteria. Heidelberg and DEG are also paying the
participants' travel expenses, and before setting off for Germany,
they will prepare for their stay with an intercultural orientation
seminar.
The PMA's international training network helps with project
planning and organization and provides further local support. In a
total of 18 branches around the globe, the printing sector's
leading training establishment offers technical and management
staff in the printing and media industry a comprehensive range of
training courses specifically tailored to meet the industry's
requirements. Last year alone, PMA training courses in Heidelberg
attracted around 2,500 participants.
Image:
The first of a total of four training cycles started on
Monday, April 7 with the arrival of ten Indian vocational school
teachers as part of a PPP (Public Private Partnership) between the
Print Media Academy (PMA) of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and the
investment and development company Deutsche Investitions- und
Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG).
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Thomas Fichtl
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 47 47
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 69
E-mail:
thomas.fichtl@heidelberg.com