The Printing Charity’s Sam Nelson moderated a panel at the Print Show Knowledge Zone entitled ‘Breaking Down Barriers: what the industry’s emerging talent needs to succeed in print’.
The audience heard from recent Rising Star Award winners, Aaron Toombs, Prepress operator at BCQ Solutions; Gabby Solarek, Account Manager at Eight Group; and Isabel Shanahan, Mac Operator at ImageCo, who provided invaluable first-hand insight.
We’ve summarised here the ways they suggest print and allied trade businesses can attract and retain young people and help build the industry of the future.
1: The perception of print as a dying industry is simply wrong: it’s full of opportunities and developments, and this needs to be communicated to other young people as they consider their career choices.
As Isabel puts it, “Before the industry I was blind to how much print was around us – when you see it, it’s a complete game changer.”
2: As print businesses, be present in places where young people go to look for career next steps – find out what’s out there in your business’s local area, and work to become part of it.
Gabby explains: “We have to be visible to encourage people to join us. There is also a misconception about the industry’s sustainability, and we have to focus on getting the truth of this across, as this is important for young people”.
3: Put your business’s best foot forward for when young people try and find out more.
Aaron remarks: “Making sure your company profile online is up to date is important.”
Be proud, and make sure your best projects are on your website to inspire people when they come looking.
4: Young people want an employer which supports career progression. Those inside our industry know it provides great opportunities and our trade bodies have programmes to empower young people but we can’t just talk to ourselves: when advertising to attract young people we need to communicate this.
Aaron is clear on this, saying that young people starting out need to be “trained right and mentored correctly. To continue that support for progression is very important, it’s how you keep people.”
He also has important advice for young people themselves on how to make the most of a career opportunity. “You have to be open to the path you want to take and throw yourself into opportunities,” he urges. “Get out of your comfort zone where possible.”
5: Continuous learning and development retain talent. This can be through initiatives such as providing chances for continuous learning; making personal development a standard practice; facilitating connections with people across the business, in different fields; and even offering the chance to work in different business areas, too, to demonstrate how vibrant and diverse print careers can be.
All panellists were passionate about how significantly this had impacted their commitment to remaining within the industry. Gabby explains: “Offering opportunities to people when they start is what we really need. My bosses gave me the chance to move to a different department and encouraged me to undertake training. I learnt everything through hands on experience.”
To continue with a focus on the future, Isabel advises: “Career development plans are really good to outline where people can and would like to grow.”
Aaron suggests: “businesses need to push employees and give them the opportunity to progress. The industry needs to continue to build skillsets and pass the experience and knowledge down to others.”
When young people truly realise the potential of a print career, they will have a similar view to Gabby, who describes print as “modern day magic”.
The Printing Charity’s annual Rising Star Awards provide a way for young people in our sectors to invest in personal development opportunities. To learn more, visit the Rising Star section of our site.