Business News
Research Reveals the Positive Impact of PrintIT! & Reconfirms Objectives are On Course to Address the Industrys Future
Tuesday 28. September 2010 - 61% of PrintIT! students sought work experience in print & 87% of teachers report PrintIT! provides a good insight into the future career options of the industry
As PrintIT! kickstarts its sixth year for the 2010/2011 academic year, research undertaken by Proskills amongst participating PrintIT! schools has provided confirmation that the initiative is meetings its objectives of increasing the profile of the printing industry, and attracting potential young talent to consider a future in print. According to the survey results, 87% of teachers believed the PrintIT! programme provided a good insight into the Printing Industry and its many varied career opportunities. In addition, 61% of past PrintIT! students had enjoyed the course so much that they had gone on to seek work experience in print-related organisations. These encouraging figures come at a time when the PrintIT! team are set to launch its sixth competition to schools across the country, which includes a number of new elements to the coursework.
“PrintIT! has been a treasured, industry-supported means of attracting young people into print for a number of years, and the time was right to investigate the positive impact it has had on the thousands of students who have taken part in the competition to date. We are delighted with the positive results of the survey and are confident that they continue to underline the importance of the scheme for the future of our entire industry,” says Tom Bowtell, General Manager, Proskills.
Demonstrating the regard in which teachers hold PrintIT!, 90% of those questioned indicated their intention to register their classes to participate in PrintIT! 2010/11. According to one teacher, The students have gained a new perspective on the print industry, realising what a prominent position it has within the UK. It has opened their eyes to the employment opportunities… and the many courses on offer.
This year, PrintIT! has a introduced a number of new features, including a new paper module as part of the student coursework, and a new interactive website (www.printit.org.uk). Working in conjunction with the Two Sides Campaign, the new paper module will encourage students to approach their opinions of the paper industry in a new way and consider the advantages of paper as a means of communication over computer technologies and other substrates. The increased emphasis on paper within PrintIT! will deliver the message that the UK paper industry is a major contributor to the economy, and is among the most forward thinking in the areas of recycling, energy conservation and the environment. Students will investigate the life-cycle of paper and will be encouraged to consider how, and why, we must continue to rely upon both print and paper.
The Awards Ceremony for PrintIT! 2010/11 will take place during Northprint next May 2011.
PrintIT! has also expanded its signature Twinning programme, the element of the campaign that brings the course to life for the students. Schools will now have the opportunity to Twin with either a printer or paper manufacturer in their local area. Teachers will be able to locate the 20 nearest Twinning partners to their school and contact them directly to arrange a Twinning visit, via a new interactive section on the PrintIT! website.
The Twinning programme adds a vocational dimension to the course by encouraging local companies to visit the students lessons or to provide tours of their own premises to see print, and now paper, in a production environment. The importance of the Twinning programme gained top marks in Proskills recent survey. 100% of schools who had Twinned with a local printer believed the experience to be very worthwhile. The Twinning process was a great chance for the students to see the print process first hand, commented one teacher. As a whole [it] was interesting and worthwhile…It gave students an idea of the scale at which print media is produced.
“The input the students get from local printers is invaluable in terms of offering a real insight into our industry, and this research proves it,” says Wayne Barlow, PrintIT! Chairman and Director Professional Print at Canon Business Solutions. “Printers and paper manufacturers should take the results of the survey as encouragement to get involved in PrintIT!, if they havent already, and to continue supporting the scheme if they have. Only then can we put our hands on our heart and know that we did everything we could to channel this exciting talent pool towards a rewarding career in our industry.”
He continues, “I am very proud to be associated with this fantastic initiative and believe strongly that if we, as an industry, come together through PrintIT!, we can ensure that the UK print industry not only survives, but thrives in the future with an injection of youthful enthusiasm guaranteeing we maintain our competitive edge.”
Tom Bowtell, General Manager, Proskills, concludes, “We remain committed to growing the PrintIT! initiative and to encouraging young people in education to consider a potential career in the print industry. The results of our survey highlight the very real impact PrintIT! is having on students, and it is therefore more important than ever to ensure that we continue to positively influence students in this way.
“PrintIT! doesnt belong to Proskills, it belongs to the whole industry, and it is up to all of us to ensure that it is given the support, attention and encouragement needed for it to continue building a future for our industry, as it has done over the last five years.”
Proskills is also working with its education and schools team to develop ways of establishing and maintaining contact with past PrintIT! students and track their career paths through a range of social media initiatives and its training and careers development programmes.
Following the success of PrintIT! Proskills is launching four new Schools into Industry Programmes for the 2010/11 academic year. Covering the Ceramics, Glass, Furniture and Building Products and Extractives industries, all programmes are mapped to relevant parts of the 14-19 curriculum and are designed to fit in with school curriculums. Further details of these programmes can be found at www.theits.org.uk.