Page 56 - Print 21 Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

Association News
News updates from New Zealand’s printing industry
Here’s looking at 2019
As we all head back
to our desks after having had a couple of weeks to recharge the batteries (well most of us have), it is a good opportunity to remind everyone of what we have planned for 2019 and what we want to achieve from this year.
Our role in promoting print will take centre stage as we continue on the crusade to make sure that the people making the decisions about purchasing print understand the long term effectiveness
and sustainability of print. We need to ensure that everyone understands the value that print adds to a product and the role it plays in providing information and promoting success. There
is collateral available from the Two Sides and Value of Paper and Print campaigns and it is fantastic to work collaboratively with the campaigns on both sides of the Tasman.
It is up to everyone in the industry to get this information out into the world, and we are excited to make these resources available to our members to
use in their own marketing and communication strategies.
Open Up to Mail
This year in New Zealand, we will be adding the Open Up to Mail campaign, which focuses directly on the benefits of Direct Mail campaigns. It promotes
the sensory value of print –
the touchy, feely nature of it, bringing the physical to life to engage and inspire consumers. We will engage with both the buyers and sellers of print, so that they both have the tools to make the right decisions.
Training is also a big focus for 2019 as it remains paramount to the success of our industry. We are operating in times of very low unemployment, so
we need to ensure that we
can attract and retain people to our industry. That means offering them career paths and reinforcing their value in print businesses by providing them
Ruth Cobb
PrintNZ CEO Ruth Cobb sets out the plans for the leading Kiwi print association for the new year.
programmes, and in 2019 we will be undertaking a review
of the print qualifications in order to ensure they are up to date and keeping abreast of the requirements of the industry. This review involves looking
at all the individual units that make up a print apprenticeship, and either amending them or, where necessary, writing whole new unit standards.
Micro credentials
In addition we will be looking at opportunities to develop micro credentials. These are shorter training programmes that may just focus on a particular topic; for example, from a technical aspect it could be a guillotining unit, but it could also be a business-focused topic such
as health and safety. For staff working in specific areas, these micro credentials may be useful to recognise a specific set of skills or to provide a taste of training before embarking on a bigger qualification.
“And what do we want to achieve through all of this? We want the industry to stay visible, vibrant and the best it can be.”
The PrintNZ Industry Training Graduations are set for 27
March in Christchurch and on
4 April in Auckland. These are held to celebrate the hard work of all training graduates that completed a qualification at
any level during 2018, and are a fitting reward for the successful graduates. They also act as the launching pad for our Apprentice of the Year, Diploma Student of the Year, Trainer of the Year and Training Company of the Year.
At the graduations we will announce five sector winners as follows:
• Sheetfed Apprentice
of the Year
• Reelfed Apprentice
of the Year
• Digital and Speciality Graphics Apprentice of the Year
• Packaging Apprentice of the Year
• Binding and Finishing Apprentice of the Year These five sector winners
will go on to contest the overall Print Apprentice of the Year title, taking centre-stage when they are named at the Pride
In Print Awards event on the evening of May 3 in Wellington. In addition the Trainer of the Year and Training Company
of the Year will be named
on stage, and of course the Awards themselves are a gala celebration of the fantastic work our industry produces, and a highlight on the print calendar each year.
Seminar series
We will start the new year with
a seminar series around the country, getting in front of members to explain the new employment legislation that was passed through Parliament at the tail end of 2018, and to reinforce the collateral that is available to members to help promote print.
In amongst these major events is the day-to-day work we do with members, the continued development of new products and services, and the other smaller events such as Pink breakfasts to raise funds for breast cancer, Women In Print, and golf days, which all provide a platform for networking with others in our industry.
And what do we want to achieve through all of this?
We want the industry to stay visible, vibrant and the best it can be. PrintNZ is committed to the industry, to our members, and to the people that make up those businesses, and we want you to come along for the ride. Our tag line is Our Industry, Our People, so join us in 2019 to spread the story of print as far as possible. 21
For further information on any events or to get involved, please email ruth.cobb@printnz.co.nz
the opportunity to have their skills formally recognised and to expand and develop their skill base. Training is a win/win situation for both the employee and the business.
Apprenticeships remain a core training programme for
the industry. While machinery continues to evolve and involves more digital technology, we
still need skilled operators
that understand the printing process, so that they can get the best from these highly specified machines. A printer will still need to understand the printing process, substrates, colour management, in order
to be able to produce the best results, and an apprenticeship will provide that.
As the machinery evolves, so do our apprenticeship
56 Print21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019