The Print Your Future project is about attracting a new skilled workforce for quality jobs to the European graphic industry.It’s a 24-month project funded under Social Dialogue (VP/2019/001/0061) about future skills and recruitment in the printing industry, running from February 2020 until January 2022. The project focuses primarily on 4 countries: Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The European printing industry faces a double challenge: to attract a new generation to the sector, and to ensure appropriate VET studies are taken up in order for these new recruits to acquire the very necessary technical skills in a continuously changing technological and digital environment. It is within this context that the European Social Partners for the graphical sector, Intergraf and UNI Europa Graphical, have set three specific objectives to achieve in a project:
- Diagnosis
- Capacity building & implementation
- Communication campaign
Project work is organised into 4 Work Packages
DIAGNOSIS: RECRUITMENT & EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG WORKERS: PROBLEMS, SOLUTIONS, BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGY
To highlight the possible and most effective actions implemented by the sector to attract new workers– paying particular attention to the process of recruitment of young people, and the factors which influence the employment conditions of young people in the printing industry. Conclusions will be drawn on the main problems, solutions and best practices and presented at the high level workshop in this Work Package.
CAPACITY BUILDING & IMPLEMENTATION
To create a common framework for the implementation of actions that can promote the recruitment and employment of young people. Best practices identified in the previous WP will be analysed in depth and/or implemented in pilot activities on the territories of the 4 target countries (Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal). Information collected in this Work Package will be presented in a ‘Toolkit for the inclusion and retention of young workers in the printing industry’.
PROMOTION, DISSEMINATION & COMMUNICATION TOOLS
To ensure the adequate communication of this project. They include the creation of a new sectoral identity, which will include collecting pictures which describe the work, interviews with young workers in at least 4 countries, a collection of information packages on job profiles, and documentation of concrete experiences of young workers. This will all be communicated in promotional photos and videos, on a dedicated website, and in a communications campaign including social media. There will also be 4 ‘Young Workers Day’ events to promote the exchange of information.
FINAL CONFERENCE
To collect and present all project results. The final conference will be the main public event of the project, held in June 2021. A final report will also be developed for the project.
A project financed with the support of the European Commission
Co-coordinators
European employers’ association
Intergraf is the European federation for print and digital communication. It is a Brussels-based trade association representing employers in the European printing industry. Intergraf represents 21 national printing federations in 20 countries. Its primary task is to represent and advocate for the interests of the printing and digital communication industry in Europe, working with European Union to support the sector’s competitiveness through advocacy, information-sharing, networking and social dialogue.
Since a European Social Dialogue for the graphical sector began in 2013, Intergraf has been the Social Partner representing employers. The aim of European Social Dialogue is to ensure a continued dialogue between employers and workers and to improve European governance through the involvement of the social partners in decision-making and the policy implementation process. Part of this is the collaboration on projects which benefit the printing sector, like Print Your Future.
European trade union
UNI Europa Graphical (UNI-EG) is the European Graphical Sector of UNI-Europa. As such, it promotes solidarity and understanding among the European graphical, packaging, paper converting, publishing, newspaper production and allied media industries’ trade union organisations. UNI EG represents nearly 200,000 members among 48 Trade Unions in 32 countries.
For more information, please visit: www.uniglobalunion.org
Country experts
Estonia
The Association of Estonian Printing and Packaging Industry (AEPPI) was founded in 1996 as Estonian Printer’s Union and renamed in 2016. AEPPI is a trade association promoting and protecting the interests of the printing industry in Estonia. We represent 40 member companies (January 2020), including printing houses, packaging manufacturers, suppliers, and also the VET school – all actors in the printing industry with an interest in maintaining a favourable business environment and advancing their business and cooperation. The Association of Estonian Printing and Packaging Industry is the Awarded Body for printing industry occupational qualification certificates.
For more information, please visit: www.etpl.ee (in Estonian) or www.printinestonia.eu (in English)
Germania
L’Università dei media di Stoccarda, la Hochschule der Medien (HdM), è un ateneo pubblico finanziato dallo stato del Baden-Württemberg che si concentra sulla formazione di specialisti dei media. La HdM offre un ampio spettro di conoscenze: dai media su carta stampata ai media elettronici, dal design all’amministrazione d’impresa, dalla scienza bibliotecaria alla pubblicità, dai contenuti per i media alla tecnologia dei packaging, dalle scienze del computer all’informatica, all’editoria e ai media elettronici. Una varietà che si rispecchia in una trentina di corsi di laurea triennale o magistrale. Al momento, l’Università accoglie più di 5.000 studenti.
Per maggiori informazioni, visitare il sito:www.hdm-stuttgart.de
the Netherlands
GOC is the training partner of the graphic media and cartonnage industry in the Netherlands. Since 1925, we have as a VET and knowledge centre provided industry-recognised training and tailor-made projects for printing companies, packaging companies, cartonnage companies and other graphic companies and technical workshops. We provide training that is fully tailored to the needs and challenges that graphic media and cartonnage companies now have. Trainings are executed by professional teachers with an industry background who speak the language of your customers.
GOC is also involved in industry promotion, the recruitment of young people, workforce development support and outplacement help. We help graphic media and cartonnage companies with advice and training to, among other things, strengthen their organization, improve their processes and produce more efficiently. We also advise schools on, among other things, examination, new choices and the further development of courses. Moreover, GOC helps graphic media companies to get or stay future fit. We do this with advice and programs aimed at sustainable employability and lifelong learning. Furthermore, GOC conducts annual research on industry trends, including technical innovations, and economic and employment development. On this basis, GOC provides knowledge to government, social partners and companies and we keep professional profiles up to date. As well as all of this, GOC connects companies, employees, employers-organizations, trade unions and governments. The target? Working together on industry development.
For more information, please visit: www.goc.nl
Portogallo
Apigraf, The Portuguese Printing and Paper Converting Association, is the national representative of the interests of these industries and one of the oldest industrial organisations in Portugal. It represents a sector made up of about 2,110 companies, which employ more than 23,000 workers and have a global turnover of 2.2 billion Euros.
The total number of Apigraf member companies is only 14.5% of the total in the sector, although their business volume corresponds to 64.5% (2.354 million euros, out of a total of 3.651 million euros). This is because the average number of employees per Apigraf member company is 27.4, while the average number of workers per non-member company is 7.14. For the printing industry (CAE 18), the total number of member companies is 16% of the total in the sector, although their business volume corresponds to 83.4% (2.354 million euros out of a total of 2.821 million euros). This is because the average number of employees per Apigraf member company is 24.3, while the average number of workers per non-member company is 5.2.
For more information, please visit: www.apigraf.pt
Technical partner
Spin 360
Fondata nel 2009, Spin360 è una società di consulenza dai servizi avanzati e innovativi. Promuove modelli d’affari sostenibili nei mercati internazionali della moda e del design, elaborando e gestendo progetti per lo sviluppo strategico delle competenze individuali (soprattutto dei giovani) e per la progettazione di modelli d’assunzione all’avanguardia.
Per maggiori informazioni, visitare il sito: www.spin360.biz