Page 62 - FINAT Yearbook 2014

THE LABEL ACADEMY
EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE
FUTURE - A NEW E-LEARNING INITIATIVE
In today’s knowledge based economy, education and competence management are key to the future success of any business, and the label industry is no exception. This applies to all levels and functions in the company, from management to operations. At the end of 2012, the FINAT Board endorsed a new initiative designed to align education and training programmes for operators in the label industry. Two years later, the Label Academy is ready for take-off.
Historically, the printing industry was regarded as having one of the best education and training schemes of any industry within the developed world, with a good apprenticeship system, excellent printing colleges, experienced trainers, and a wide range of printing textbooks on a whole variety of printing processes, typesetting, pre-press, bookbinding and finishing operations. Printing was regarded as a highly skilled industry with some of the highest industrial-skill wages.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED?
• The more printing has moved away from a craft-based to a technology, service and communications-based industry
• The more high-end sectors such as self-adhesive have developed and grown
• The higher the pressures on costs and margins
------ the less high quality and knowledge-based education and training we seem to do!
Dedicated printing colleges in many parts of the world have all but disappeared, or they are not seen to be relevant to training for the self-adhesive sector.
KNOWLEDGE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Indeed, the self-adhesive label sector seems to have suffered perhaps more than many other sectors of printing, and it is perhaps not too difficult to see why:
• It has some of the widest ranges of materials to print on
• The widest range of printing processes being used (often in
combination on one press line)
• The widest range of in-line finishing operations
• Increasingly sophisticated origination and pre-press
processes
• Challenges in terms of sustainability (adhesives and
silicones, matrix and liner waste, etc.)
• A more and more diverse selection of bar code types, QR
codes, Augmented Reality and other interactive labels.
----- Each week seems to bring new industry knowledge challenges, and opportunities. And the demands are increasing all the time, from new digital technologies, interactive labels, brand protection solutions, to new developments in intelligent and active labels.
ENHANCED EDUCATION AND TRAINING: TRANSFER- RING KNOWLEDGE TO THE NEW GENERATION
This enhanced level of education and training needs to be done sooner rather than later, as many of the existing skilled and knowledgeable people that have grown with the industry over the past 20 or so years come towards retirement. We need to utilise their knowledge before it is too late. We need to bring in new skills and abilities to tell employees about the new demands on labels. We need to re-build a new and dedicated education and training base for the industry’s future.
THE LABEL ACADEMY
This is why the publishing, internet and marketing team at Tarsus, supported by a small group of knowledgeable and skilled industry specialists, are planning the launch of The Label Academy. Over the coming months the team will be working on finishing the first six or more (out of the first 20 proposed) education and training e-learning and support modules that aim to provide the basic knowledge requirements of the label industry employees of today and tomorrow.
E-LEARNING
Initial e-learning Modules will cover topics as diverse as Label Substrates, Label Printing processes, Die-cutting and Tooling,
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FINAT YEARBOOK 2014 |