43 www.printmonthly.co.uk November / December 2023 - Issue 345 the panel discussion was the role the wider industry needs to play to help share this message. “I feel like the industry is really lacking actually,” said Burfield. “I think the industry could do more to appeal to younger people in the 18-to-30 bracket and even at a younger stage as well. Jake mentioned that he had the chance at high school to mug press, but a lot of kids haven’t had that opportunity. I think it’s up to companies to reach out to these schools and invite them to come down and see what they do, and provide a bit of experience. “I think that experience will really capture quite a few creative minds. As Alex said, it’s a really great career to have. I don’t know one person in print who isn’t paid fairly, compared to when you go out looking for your first job and you might settle for a local café or Mcdonald's, but why not print? It’s a great tool to have and it works in so many different sectors as well. It’s all about skills building.” Highlighting the range of skills needed to produce print, Burfield adds: “It’s not just finishing, it’s not just taking something off a printer and sending something off to be put on the side of a building. We’ve got accounts, engineering, management, there’s so many different pockets within print that people can explore. But no one ever leaves school and says, ‘I’m going to go and work at a printers’, and that’s why FESPA UK has developed this Next Generation initiative and committee.” With a full crowd taking time out of their visit to The Print Show to listen to the panel discussion, Burfield said it was great to see so many people engage with the Committee division of Stylographics, she says she can’t see herself doing anything else. With questions provided by Rob Fletcher, lead contributor for Print Monthly and SignLink, the panel discussed topics such as their own routes into print, how they think the industry as a whole can make print more attractive to young people, and their own favourite things about the industry. For Burfield, it was the creativity and variety of print and graphics that drew him to a career in the industry. Raising the point that no one leaves school wanting to be a printer or garment decorator, due to it not being taught, Adams recalled how he got into print by accident. “Two months prior to starting the mug printing business whilst at school, I’d never really understood print or heard of print.” Due to this start in the industry, Adams is open about the fact that this involved a lot of mistakes and on the job learning due to a lack of print colleges or classes that teach the variety of skills required within the industry. For Pollard, the apprenticeship was the highest-paid option at the time which is what led him to apply initially. However, he adds: “After a few days, you see the machinery, the technology, the prints that come off the machines and it definitely grew on me. You go outside now and everywhere you look, you go ‘I know where that came from’ or ‘we did that’. You can see it everywhere and that’s what excites me the most.” Brown added that the diversity of print is something that isn’t acknowledged enough from outside the print industry. “Before I got into the industry if someone mentioned print, I’d think of newspapers, cards, and things like that. But there’s so much more to it. It’s so much more technically advanced than I ever thought. You can print neon, and 3D, or you can have texture, and that’s what really gripped me and made me want to stay on the journey of print.” Is The Industry Lacking? With all this said, it remains the mission of FESPA UK and its Next Generation initiative to share these messages and champion the creative and exciting opportunities within print. Something that was highlighted during ▲ Zund UK hosted the most recent Next Gen Training Day along with Antalis, swissQprint, and Compass Business Fianance and even better to see so many people asking about how they can get involved and start to send their young talent to some of the training days and networking events. During the panel discussion, Burfield passed the baton over to the audience and said that now is the time for the industry to start supporting the initiative and drive to bring new talent into print. “It doesn’t need to be overly complicated,” Burfield says. “Invite young people along to events, and let them see the industry for what it really is: creative and diverse. “No matter your skillset, there is a place for everyone in the print and signage industry. Even better, we need to be giving the spotlight to young talent and giving them the chance to upskill. Send them along to our training days and networking events.” The most recent FESPA UK Association Next Generation event was held on October 18th at Zund UK and gave attendees the chance to oversee the entire print process from brief to completed design. This day saw roles from welding and production to design, customer service, and accounts come together to design, prototype, print, finish, and present a desk organiser to a panel of judges. Organisers commented on how impressed they were with the teamwork, communication, and creativity of the teams; and a number of the attendees commented during the day on how impressed they were with the capabilities of the kit, with some inspired to go back to their companies and try out new techniques on the technology. Information on upcoming events can be found at fespauk.com/thenextgeneration. I feel like the industry could really do more to appeal to people in the 18-to-30 bracket and even at a younger stage as well FUTURE-PROOFING PRINT / FESPA UK'S NEXT GENERATION INITIATIVE
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