Printing SA, together with Bytes Document Solutions, hosted an informative breakfast seminar at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead on 10 August.
Kenneth Leid, Printing SA Director for National Training and Development, gave feedback on the drupa 2016 event in Düsseldorf, which he and Printing SA CEO Steve Thobela attended during June. This feedback session included an overview on digital technology and confirmed meetings held with digital suppliers who have offered assistance in setting up training programmes and possibly partnering with Printing SA. He also gave an overview on the Commercial Digital Printing Learnership that Printing SA was developing. He discussed the seven theory modules, which form part of the said Learnership, which Printing SA had already successfully launched in Johannesburg and was soon to roll out to the various regions.
‘The digital printing industry is evolving and diversifying at an astonishing rate. This growth and development has, however, resulted in a critical shortage of printers who have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to safely and competently operate digital printing and finishing equipment and machinery,’ said Leid. ‘To this end, Printing SA engaged with a range of industry stakeholders to develop a pivotal skills programme to address the scarce and critical skills of the commercial and digital printing sector.’
‘The objectives of our learnerships are to provide unemployed and employed learners access to high quality and relevant education and training via an integrated series of knowledge, skills and workplace experience modules. This will create a pool of graduate learners with employable skills and work readiness to enable them to effectively participate in the sector, economy and society,’ added Leid.
Jenny Attewell, production services and wide format product manager at Bytes Document Solutions, was also a speaker at the event. ‘Print is not dying, it is shifting and evolving,’ said Attewell, ‘Print Service Providers have to be flexible, and they need to redefine their place in the document lifecycle chain.’
Attewell highlighted ways in which Print Service Providers can thrive:
– Push your digital cut-sheet presses to their limits.
– Explore how inkjet can transform your business by gaining access to new pages.
– Think about wide format – one of the fastest growing segments of the graphic communication market.
– Invest in business development tools.
– Consider where and how workflow and digital capabilities can create high value in a personalised, cross-media world.
– Expand your service offerings to include integrated marketing with a targeted market approach.
– Build or enhance customer partnership relationships.
– Develop customer-focused strategies.
– Train sales staff to understand not just conventional printing but digital as well.
World renowned boxing champion, Brian Mitchell, served as guest speaker. He provided autographed memorabilia that was auctioned, with proceeds going to JAM, whose primary commitment is the fight against hunger and malnutrition in Africa. Each year, JAM provides millions of nutritious meals to thousands of hungry children through their Nutritional Feeding Programme at schools.
