Minneapolis—Ted Biggs, Vice President of Manufacturing at AWT Labels & Packaging was honored to be a presenter at the 2016 Flexographic Trade Association Fall Conference, October 10-12 at The Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, KY.
Biggs led an interactive presentation titled A New Paradigm in Press Operator Training, addressing the dilemma between continued growth in the flexographic printing industry and the lack of trained press operators available to fill open positions. He provided resources to help employers identify qualified candidates and weighed in on various flexographic press training methods. While Biggs recommends hands-on training courses he acknowledges that there is a limited number of all-inclusive programs available. As a solution, AWT Labels & Packaging and Computype partnered to develop Flexographic Tech, a Nonprofit 501 C (3) corporation, dedicated to providing hands-on flexographic training programs. Other major sponsors of this important industry initiative include Platinum Level: Green Bay Packaging, Mark Andy, Eaglewood Technologies; Silver Level: Flint Group and UPM Raflatac; Bronze Level; Avery Dennison, Harper Corporation.
Flexographic Tech classes range from two days to three months, enabling students from across the country to receive intensive, hands-on flexographic press room training on a Mark Andy press supplemented with lectures and structured activities. Flexographic Tech provides an opportunity to work alongside competitors to develop trained operators. According to Manpower Group: For the sixth consecutive year, skilled trade vacancies are the hardest to fill in the U.S., and for the fourth consecutive year, skilled trade roles are the hardest to fill globally.
“It’s time to work together because training is needed to support the vitality and growth of the printing industry,” says Biggs.
Visit www.flexographictech.org to learn more about how to increase press operators’ skillsets by providing effective, hands-on training.
About Flexographic Tech:
Flexographic Tech is a Minnesota Non-Profit 501 C (3) Corporation dedicated to providing flexographic press operators and others in the flexographic industry hands-on training that ranges from a 2-day color theory course to a 12-week deep dive of flexographic press operation, Flexo Tech is led by a nationally recognized instructor with over five years of teaching experience at Dunwoody Technical College. Flexo Tech’s mission is to provide the Midwest with a local source of training, filling the gap in the print industry’s need for qualified press operators. Flexographic Tech was founded and continues to be supported by AWT Labels & Packaging and Computype.
About FTA/FFTA:
Flexographic Technical Association (FTA), chartered in 1958, is a professional society dedicated to bringing all members of the flexographic printing community—printers, suppliers, consumer product companies, institutions, prepress houses and others–together by providing opportunities for the free exchange of technical ideas and discussion of mutual concerns. It is a proponent of maintaining and advancing quality standards and includes 1,300 member sites that represent more than 35,000 individuals. Foundation of FTA, founded in 1974, is the educational arm of FTA and is dedicated to supporting and advancing the flexographic printing industry.
About AWT Labels & Packaging:
For more than 35 years, AWT has been providing high quality labels and flexible packaging for a variety of market segments including: medical, personal care, Industrial/OEM, food & beverage, household and specialty. For more information, please visit www.awtlabelpack.com.