Business News
The BAPC, BPIF and IPIA join forces to encourage members to become Industry Ambassadors for PrintIT!
Tuesday 29. September 2009 - Twinning partners to also benefit from free IPEX-related benefits
The Printing Industrys leading trade associations have joined forces to encourage their members to support PrintIT! by urging them to join the Twinning programme and become Ambassadors for UK Print plc. As staunch supporters of PrintIT!, the BAPC, BPIF and IPIA all recognise the benefits that the initiative brings in terms of increasing the profile of the industry and attracting fresh, young talent to consider a future career in print. To date, over 85,000 students from over 1,000 schools have engaged in PrintIT!
This year, every printer that plays an active role in the Twinning programme will be given a host of Ipex-related benefits. These include free registration and entry to Ipex 2010 at the NEC, Birmingham in May, a free copy of the exhibitor catalogue with a RRP of approximately £25, exclusive use of a dedicated PrintIT! Twinners Visitor Lounge as well as an opportunity to attend the PrintIT! finalists awards ceremony, which will be held at the NEC during Ipex on Saturday 22nd May.
As students settle back into their classrooms, pupils embarking on their first year of study for their GCSEs in Graphic Products and Product Design will be guided through the many diverse elements of print and graphic arts as part of PrintIT!s curriculum mapped, print-focused course and competition.
The PrintIT! team is now starting its campaign to recruit printers from across the country, to twin with local schools and help deliver the PrintIT! course. Twinning printers are encouraged to visit students during lessons to offer a real-life perspective and discuss careers in print, provide a sounding board for teachers and where possible invite students to visit their own premises to see print production in a working environment.
“While we provide teachers with all the resources and reference materials they need to deliver the course, what really brings our industry to life for the students is external input, and I cant emphasise enough the positive feedback we have from schools when they have been fortunate enough to enlist the support of a local printer,” said Paul Evans, project director for PrintIT! at Proskills UK. “By engaging a local print business it clearly injects that extra dimension and real-life perspective into the project which may not be so easily communicated through more conventional teaching methods.”
Michael Johnson, chief executive of the BPIF, a key partner of PrintIT! added, “We are all aware of the need to promote UK print, and to dispel the misconception that print is a traditional, old fashioned industry, which couldnt be farther from the truth. I would like to urge all members to join the twinning programme, and to help these young enthusiastic students understand the true potential of working in an industry that can offer a rewarding career in a fast moving, hi-tech environment.”
BAPC chairman Sidney Bobb is also keen to demonstrate his support of PrintIT! as a key partner, and would like to see an even greater commitment to the Twinning programme from his member companies. “For an industry to stand united to support this initiative and address our common goals is a testament to how much we care about the future of print. Having had the privilege to meet some of the teachers and students that have taken part in PrintIT!, I am in no doubt at all that PrintIT! is something truly special. I would therefore like to appeal again to BAPC members to come on board and sign up as a Twinning partner.”
The IPIA is another longstanding sponsor of PrintIT! and Andrew Pearce, chief executive officer of the IPIA added, “The average age of people in print is 45 years, so our industry needs young people to enter our vibrant, cutting edge and diverse world to ensure its longevity in the UK. We should all be extremely proud of PrintIT! as an industry-wide initiative and I would like to see IPIA members playing a part in its continued success by signing up to the Twinning programme and working with local students to give them a unique insight into the world of print.”
This year, PrintIT!, led by Sector Skills Council Proskills, has gone green, reflecting the additional focus in the course covering the sustainability and environmental responsibility of print production, in addition to learning about the wide range of substrates, technologies and production techniques involved in print.
To assist twinning printers, a ready-made presentation is available via the PrintIT! website and local press materials have been prepared to ensure companies can maximise their efforts in terms of increasing their profile in the local community.