Shaping the Future of Print

It is a problem that nearly every printer, in every segment of the print industry has faced: as employees age and retire out of the workforce, who is going to replace them? How do printers attract the best and brightest of the new generations to choose this profession over all other options?

Those questions are something that Marci Kinter, Vice President — Government & Business Information for SGIA, takes very seriously. She believes that it is part of the responsibility of everyone in the print industry to come together and show students and young adults that print is an attractive and desirable field to work in; and further, to provide the training and education needed to set them up for success.

“We’re working on that,” Kinter says. “This is part of the strategy we’re in the process of developing at SGIA. The Trump administration has set workforce development and skill as a top priority, and we’re looking to see how we can best take advantage of this movement.”

The Tom Frecska Student Printing Competition Awards honor superior imaging work within a variety of categories. Yunuen Gonzalez (left) won the best of show in 2016. Best of Show winners receive a special Academy Student Achievement Award and a cash prize of $500 to use toward their graphic arts education.

One of those strategies is to work within a newly established industry apprenticeship program the administration has put into place. A grant program was announced to encourage sectors to partner with educational institutions to develop strategies to train new workers on the job, allowing them to gain experience and earn a small salary.

“It’s about understanding that education is about more than just spending time in the classroom,” says Kinter. “We really need to look at how to marry learning and skill-based training, and really look to cultivate that apprenticeship approach to workforce development.”

Recognizing Outstanding Talent

Workforce development is about more than just recruiting new talent, however. It is also about recognizing and rewarding the efforts of students who show aptitude and passion for the graphic arts. Which is why SGIA, since 2006, also hosts the Tom Frecska Student Printing Competition Award, presented by the Academy of Screen and Digital Printing Technology (ASDPT).

Students around the country submitted their entries this past summer, and the best of the best can be viewed in the Golden Image gallery on the 2018 SGIA Expo show floor, in Hall C2. They were judged before the show floor officially opened, and the winners in each of the 53 categories received a plaque and certificate, with the Best of Show winners also receiving an engraved trophy.

Johnny Shell, Vice President — Print Technology & Training, SGIA, notes that, “This is the future workforce of our industry. Many of these students, when they graduate, will potentially seek employment in something they’re familiar with. They’ve already shown the effort to enter the competition — that is a vested interest in screen and digital printing right there. That has tremendous value; one of the biggest complaints we hear is that it’s so hard to find skilled labor.”

“It’s so cool for them to gain this kind of exposure and confidence in their work,” agrees Erin Nuss, SGIA’s Manager of Academic and Training Programs. “For students, knowing they did something so well it was hung in Las Vegas at one of the biggest print shows in the United States is a big deal. One winner from 2014 later wrote a blog post recalling how it was one of the best experiences she had seeing her work displayed in front of thousands of people.”

As SGIA Expo transforms into PRINTING United in 2019, Shell notes that, more than likely, there will be an expansion of categories to open up the opportunity to even more students in segments that span all aspects of the print industry in an effort to foster that same kind of excitement no matter what aspect of print they are most drawn to. SGIA will also continue to operate a scholarship program to uplift the very best of the next generation and give them a head start on their career and will remain involved with the SkillsUSA competition as well.

“Most of these efforts are relatively new,” Shell says. “The student competition is the oldest service we have for students, and the scholarship program has only been in place for three years. We have a student membership program that was launched a little over a year ago now, and I see all of these as steps in the right direction. But it is a steep hill to climb, and we need the industry’s help in any way they can offer.”

For those attending this year’s SGIA Expo, this is the call to action: consider opening up facilities for plant tours for students, or making connections with local high school and college campuses. Workforce development takes cultivation and effort, but if the industry as a whole comes together to ensure the next generation is properly trained and job-ready when they leave school, that will be a huge win for everyone.