Proskills, the Sector Skills Council for the Process & Manufacturing sector, which includes the print and paper industries, is making a plea to printers to join forces with them to help shape the future direction of skills provision and training for the printing industry. Richard Moore, the recently appointed Print and Paper Industry Lead at Proskills is heading the campaign to encourage as many printers as possible to provide more representative input into how Proskills can assist employers gain the right training provision, offer the most appropriate industry-specific qualifications and guide businesses through the process of obtaining government funding for skills training.
“We need more printers to work with; their input is critical to our success in ensuring our industry has the right skills and training provision going forward,” says Richard Moore, Print and Paper Industry Lead at Proskills. Companies can either continue to voice their disapproval, disappointment and even disillusionment with the current system, or they can get actively involved and work with us at Proskills to develop skills training solutions and qualifications that fit with the needs of our industry.”
There are two ways print companies can get involved; by joining the Print Industry Board, or as a representative on the Standards and Qualifications Reform Group.
The Print Industry Board helps set the strategic direction for Proskills and plays a direct role in influencing skills development and training provision. To date, it has a membership of just over 20 employers, but in real terms, these companies only represent a small fraction of the industry, which comprises around 16,000 workplaces and 145,000 employees. Supported by representatives from employer bodies, trade unions and training providers, the task of the Print Industry Board is to ensure that the objectives and solutions developed by Proskills and the National Skills Academy for Materials, Production & Supply (NSAMPS), the new directional delivery arm of Proskills, remain fully aligned to the needs of the industry.
The role of the Standards and Qualifications Reform Group is to develop and review new and existing standards and qualifications to meet the increasing demands of business, and as such, play a key role in ensuring the right training provision is in place to support investment in skills.
Richard Moore added, “Too often, we hear the criticism that the current government’s skills and funding system doesn’t deliver against the disparate needs of the printing industry – the wrong sort of training provision or delivery solution and the complex funding rules and processes that seem to preclude rather than include, all of which are frequently cited as the reason for not training staff. But is this viable in today’s economic climate, where advanced skills can drive business growth and aid survival during these difficult times?.”
“To ensure a more complete coverage and ever more influential input, we need more printers to get involved with the work we do and join the membership of both our Print and Paper Industry Boards as well as join our Standards and Qualifications Reform Group.”
For more information, or anyone interesting in joining should contact Richard Moore on Richard.moore@proskills.co.uk or call 07910 247734.
