It was standing room only as more than 60 people gathered at Sydney Airport for the very first Future Print Summit on September 16 – and with feedback and ideas flowing, the day is sure to impact positively on future apprentice training.
It was not just the numbers attending the Apprenticeship Summit which were impressive, but their broad representation of the industry and high level of engagement. CEOs and business owners from some of the industry’s leading companies were joined by supervisors and operational staff, representatives from the AMWU and RTOs, Printing Industries staff and Future Print Advisors and, of course, apprentices themselves.
Officially opening the day, the Hon. Bob Baldwin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, spoke of how an apprenticeship had provided the foundation for his own career and changed his life for the better, saying the Federal Government’s support for vocational education was about ‘the future of our children’.
Print and related areas, he said, were strong, with completion rates for apprenticeships above the national average, and the Federal Government was committed to ensuring industries had access to training in the areas needed, by cutting red tape and simplifying processes to help link employers with appropriately trained staff and connect skilled workers with jobs.
The day featured two intensive workshop sessions, where participants were asked to do everything from define the industry of the future, including its product range, and outline the skills which they believed would be required of industry participants in coming years, and to evaluate the place that apprenticeships would play in the new skills landscape.
Groups were then asked to provide specific information on how apprentices learn most effectively, evaluating the benefits and difficulties of components like ‘block’ training versus ‘workplace-based’ training, and the support their business required to maximise the chance of apprentices completing their training.
The Summit was also addressed by music industry representative John O’Neill who brought a fascinating perspective on transformation and training, derived from his experience in an industry which, like print, has radically transformed over the past 15 years.
“In recent years, music has moved from a physical business, with the sale of records, tapes and CDs, to a largely digital market serviced by downloads and streaming,” he explained, “and, while digital will never completely replace the physical product, we have had to dramatically change our business models and approach.”
While physical products remain popular, with a resurgence of interest in vinyl records and tapes, both of which now retail in a much higher margin price bracket, O’Neill says it is the digital sector where the growth is happening because it has made his product so much cheaper and easier to access.
“When the game changes, you have no choice but to find a new set of rules by which you can play and win,” he said. “That will take ideas, bravery, passion and a willingness to execute your plans and see them through – and this is where young people are invaluable.
“Many employers consider youth, naivety and lack of experience to be disadvantages, but it is these qualities which make young people willing to learn, to take on a challenge and, perhaps most critically, to try things and possibly fail. They can look at your business with fresh eyes and provide a perspective those of us who have been in the business for years could never deliver – and if you can harness that freshness and creativity alongside the skills and experience of your older staff, those ‘workers on L-plates’ can be an enormous asset.
“I can honestly say that while the transition in my industry has had its challenges, there has never been a more exciting time to be involved in music; it just looks very different from what it did when I started,” he said.
In response, the second workshop session asked participants to review their ideas of how the print and graphic communications industry might look in future, and to brainstorm ideas for attracting young people to the sector. This included defining the attributes of the ‘ideal’ new recruit, to thoughts on school-based apprenticeships and pre-entry training, and also explored the critical area of post-apprenticeship skills pathways and how best to help qualified tradespeople further their careers.
Joan Grace, general manager for innovation, training and employment for Printing Industries, said the FuturePrint team were delighted with the willingness of participants to provide their assessment, opinions and ideas to the Summit.
“Having business owners, CEOs and operational management sit together with those involved in planning training models, those who design and deliver the courses and some of the people who are currently undertaking training has been enormously valuable and made for animated and passionate discussions in the workgroup sessions,” she said.
In thanking those who had participated, Grace remarked that she could not remember a similar occasion which had a 100% attendance rate. “It really demonstrates that the people involved in our industry are passionate about creating a successful and sustainable future, and that the issues Future Print is addressing will be critical to ensuring that success.
“Many of the senior people in the room started their careers as apprentices twenty or thirty years ago, while one young man is just five weeks into his training, so the range of experience was extensive and we are grateful to all participants for their enthusiasm and honesty.
“Evaluation of the information gathered will take a little while, but I can say that it has been an enormously successful exercise which has given us very positive feedback and strong direction which we will be working very hard to implement in the Future Print Program moving forward.” “Many of the senior people in the room started their careers as apprentices twenty or thirty years ago, while one young man was just five weeks into his training, so the range of experience was extensive and we are grateful to all participants for their enthusiasm and honesty.
“Evaluation of the information gathered will take a little while, but I can say that it has been an enormously successful exercise which has given us very positive feedback and strong direction which we will be working very hard to implement in the Future Print Program moving forward.
For more information on Future Print go to www.futureprint.org.au