Where Have All the Students Gone? (Part 3)
By Letters to the Editor on October 30th, 2007
Printing industry educator Annette Wolf Bensen sent her thoughts on the state of industry education:
I am grateful to Frank Romano for his articles on this important subject, and I am gratified by the passion of the responses. I applaud all the educational funding efforts. It’s obvious that prospective students need a single source for all graphics scholarship information, but nowhere in all the discussion did I see “why don’t we?” or “I can do that”. Nobody is stepping up to do the job.
Teachers need our help. When and where do they get their industry information? In New York City, industry volunteers present Graphics Teacher Technology Conferences to support teachers so they can keep their programs and their students up to date on trends and technologies.
Wouldn’t it be grand if more of you reached out to the high schools in your area and invited a teacher to work in your company for the summer? Work out the financial and logistical details, but get a motivated teacher learning first-hand on your equipment in a working commercial environment. Let’s nurture teachers by mentoring them, giving them access to a live person to talk to and ask questions. Let’s get some of our dedicated vendor partners together and come up with a viable curriculum for digital presses and VPD. I hear from Xerox and HP and Heidelberg and others that they can’t find competent staff to cover the job openings in this field. Some local groups are already working on this, but we need to band together as an industry to make it more comprehensives and accessible.
There was a Graphic Arts Education Summit at this year’s GraphExpo. How about inviting — and paying for — some high school teachers to attend functions like this and get them to shed light on what’s happening in their schools? How can we, as an industry, help:
a. convince the education system that printing is not a dirty word and does not have to be taken out of the language in high schools
b. get school systems to stop using printing programs as dumping grounds for unfocussed students
c. make room in high schools for the extra space and equipment needed to teach this complex and vital subject
d. educate the educators that printing is growing and changing so much that their conventional employment stats must be re-thought to incorporate in-plant printing, corporate communications technologies and all the many forms of commercial graphics
This last point is important. We have a big problem with the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) system for analyzing business activity. The government uses NAICS codes to make policy, and the codes are woefully out of step with business reality. With digital and desktop technologies, our workforce has been transformed. More and more companies have their own pre-press departments. I don’t see the NAICS figures tracking this. We’re not counting the pre-press or printing departments in retail companies like Lord & Taylor or Macy’s or Bloomberg or JP Morgan Chase or Harford Insurance — or the big busy departments in accounting firms or manufacturing organizations or law offices. Politicians and bureaucrats don’t care about an industry they can’t measure.
Let’s go further. We need to reach out to lower and middle schools and get these kids interested before high school. With a good marketing program, we should tell kids that that there is an industry called printing, and it is not full of dirty old machines, and it’s not a mindless job. We need to communicate with politicians and the powers-that-be in education that they are print buyers and print users, too. We can do all that, but we need to do it together.
And what about our vendors? One of the responses regarding vendors was right on the money. Each year in New York we hold a high school graphics competition which includes printing, page make-up, digital photography, web design and PowerPoint presentation. We give trophies and prizes to the winners. It’s like pulling teeth to get some of our vendors – big companies making millions off our industry — to donate even a few hundred dollars for gifts. What a shame! Investing in the future of the industry does not appear to be on most vendors’ plates. On the other hand, thank God, there are those firms who have come through year after year, and I am sure that their names will be in these kids’ vocabularies for many years to come. What do we have to do to shake some cash out of these organizations? A little investment in education goes a long way.
Finally, we need our associations to do a lot better. I have been trying to help a school in Connecticut and have reached out for support from a regional trade association. I was told this: “My association serves the needs of 430 member companies from across six states. We are so busy trying to tend to the needs of our members, run our programs and services, and trying to deliver value to members and interest prospective members to join our association, that unfortunately, that leaves little time to meet the needs of high schoolers and post secondary students looking to enter the various graphic arts professions.” If this is what we get from our industry groups, then the members are truly losing out. Where do these people expect to get new blood? Why aren’t printing schools and printing teachers getting memberships at no charge? Can’t we see the forest for the trees?
Let’s get busy. We can ALL help. We don’t need to wait for the next big trade show; we can’t count our trade associations. What we need is do is meet online, person to person, one by one, and we need to start NOW. We have already waited too long.
Main Content Feed
6 Responses to “Where Have All the Students Gone? (Part 3)”
By David Locke on Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
When kids see print shops closing up all around them, what will they think of a career in printing?
I know that my son watched what the tech bust did to me and others, so he is finding a career far beyond the reaches of computers. computer science professors want to improve math and science education, but the kids are going to ask why do that?
I know that improving the perception of computer science careers will do more than improving math and science education. The same can probably be said about careers in the printing industry.
By Noel Ward on Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Annette Wolf Benson make a lot of good points. I really like the idea of teachers going to work at some print engine vendors. And the flow of education can work in two directions. I just received a press release from Xerox that gives education in science and math a different spin.
As for the printing industry specifically, I think print providers also have to make an effort, and it could be supported by equipment and software vendors. Printing is cool, but it doesn’t seem like it because almost no one is making it look that way. As Frank Romano once said, “Print isn’t dead. It just looks that way because it doesn’t move.”
Anyway, here’s the release I referred to:
By Raymond J. Prince on Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Your remarks are on target. The image that we project and that is perceived is imdeed poor for the most part. The Second Education Summit held a Graph Expo did have teachers from high school, two year colleges and four year colleges speak. There was no admission fee. Each year GAERF does sponsor teachers to come to Graph Expo.
By Wayne Shipman on Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Anyone care to comment on ‘high school day’ at their favorite trade show??? If you work the booths, you know how hard it is to keep things from ‘leaving’. Cool printed posters are great, but not educational. While some teachers are trying to guide students, some others just let the kids loose.
I think industry can support a more public day and encourage education to happen, not just give out bags and posters.
By Paul Foster on Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
Annette’s observations are right on target . . . I would like to share my “tweaks”.
Like our custom manufacturing industry, graphic communications/printing programs are custom manufactured educational entities. They are created based on the dynamic specifications of the local environment in which they exist. This environment consists of the state departments of education, local school district, school administrator, program supervisor, and instructor. Add to this mix the community, type of school (comprehensive or magnet), student population, competition from other programs, local industry, No Child Left Behind, and availability of funding—it is a wonder that any program exist much less survive.
What does this mean? It means that there is no top down, “canned” solution to this problem that can be packaged and sold. There is no awareness campaign/flashy video/cartoon, alone, that will make significant inroads. We need a visual representation of the problem, which includes all of the players and their roles to begin to understand it. Here is my attempt http://web.mac.com/pfoster3/WherearetheStudents/DefiningtheEnvironment.pdf. Please, please, please feel free to provide feedback. If we have something visual that shows where people fit, they might be more inclined to help.
It is difficult for someone who has never been in the classroom to understand what a teacher faces. Most don’t get beyond the perceived “great” work schedule (7:30-2:30 with breaks and the summers off). Ha, ha. We need to quantify it. Take a look at the responsibilities that I had as a teacher. http://web.mac.com/pfoster3/WherearetheStudents/InstructorResponsibilities.pdf If this doesn’t convince you that teachers need help nothing will. Print it and put it up somewhere where it can be seen every day. Hug your graphic communications/printing teacher when you see them. They deserve it.
I agree with Annette . . . there is nothing better than a teacher in the trenches experiencing industry first hand. But . . . by the end of the year, most teachers are so wiped that a. the time off is needed or more likely b. summer time is the only time to address problems/make changes to labs or c. they are off at summer conferences or d. they are updating curriculum for their school district. 8 weeks is not that much time. I spent the majority of my summers as a teacher in my classroom making it better for the next school year. I had many offers from industry to do just what Annette is suggesting . . . I just didn’t have the time.
In addition to what Annette suggests, let’s mentor teachers in relevant ways while minimizing the impact on everyone’s time. Using programs like Skype, iVisit, Yugma, and Adobe Acrobat Connect, we can have real-time access to help teachers when the teacher needs it. If I am a teacher having a problem on press, with this technology, I can roll my camera up and show and industry expert exactly what is happening. If I’m a teacher having a problem with a piece of software, I can start a Yugma session, give control of my screen to an industry expert, and they can fix it, live, in real-time. Oh, by the way, did I mention that using this method would reduce your carbon footprint?
Top-down, single-source curriculum alone, does not work in our rapidly changing environment. Nor does it take into consideration the challenges of implementation in a high school classroom. Each graphic communications/printing classroom is unique. Different students, schedules, equipment . . . etc. This causes teachers to take the top-down, single-source curriculum and adapt it to fit their environment. Of course, you say, that only makes sense . . . that’s what a teacher is supposed to do. However, this leads to duplication of effort at each and every school. Sheer madness. Let’s stop this reinvention of the wheel. The best thing we can do is provide a resource for teachers, built and maintained by teachers. Help them help themselves. If teachers could agree on a common curriculum framework we could begin to build a repository of activities and lessons that tap the collective knowledge and encourage best practices to evolve. Everyone would contribute their way of satisfying requirements and be free to pick and choose solutions that fit their environment.
A model like this would give the first year teacher a fighting chance and at the same time introduce veterans to the latest industry trends. The curriculum framework exists in the form of PrintED. Industry folks, if you don’t know what PrintED http://www.gaerf.org/printed/printed.html is, take the time to find out. PrintED is the lynchpin to solving the problem. The repository is online and is beginning to be filled. http://www.pgama.com:8080/pet If you would like guest access to check it out, please contact me.
Now for my request to vendors—help us build this resource by allowing us to use your content libraries so that we can offer high quality visually appealing lessons. This is an easy low-cost/no-cost way to help the cause. Thanks to Larry Kroll for help in this matter. I would be glad to recognize any vendor that provides content with a banner on the sight.
To address some of Annette’s other points:
“convince the education system that printing is not a dirty word and does not have to be taken out of the language in high schools”
I think Annette is alluding to the removal of the word “printing” from titles of courses. We need to acknowledge the fact that prints media (printing) is only one part of the vast field of graphic communications. If we don’t recognize that, we are limiting ourselves. The industry needs multi-disciplinary workers who understand the components of graphic communications and how they fit together—not how they stand apart. How about calling it “Graphic Communications—Print Media”.
“get school systems to stop using printing programs as dumping grounds for unfocussed students”
A solution to this problem is for the teacher to run a rigorous program. If the word gets out that a program is tough but fun, the tough part will weed out the unfocused students. A big reason that programs get dumped on is because administrators think that a program is just “printing”. Make it more than just “printing” and you will attract a higher caliber student.
“make room in high schools for the extra space and equipment needed to teach this complex and vital subject”
We need to concentrate on keeping the space we have. We can’t afford to lose even one program. Let’s get our house in order, and then we can start to ask for more space.
“We need to reach out to lower and middle schools and get these kids interested before high school. With a good marketing program, we should tell kids that that there is an industry called printing, and it is not full of dirty old machines, and it’s not a mindless job.”
How’s this for an action plan:
1. Partner with elementary schools to do a literacy program revolving around “Benjamin Saves the Books”. Use Man Roland’s book “What is Printing” along with a live video link to an industry location that shows the different processes. Let them talk to the employees. Even better if you can get a parent or relative of someone in the class who is involved in the industry.
2. Touch the students again in middle school. This time, have them create a business card for their parents (or relative) in their classroom using a web-to-print solution. Cut live to the company behind the web-to-print portal and follow the job through the shop. Mail the completed job back to the home address. Better yet . . . cut to the high school that has a web-to-print solution in place. Get them to imagine themselves in the program. Use the data collected to do a targeted VDP campaign for those that participate in the project.
3. If you really want to cement a graphics program into the fabric of a program, assist the program in developing a coordinated marketing campaign that promotes the entire school.
Now, let’s talk about the association’s role in all of this. I can’t speak for other associations but here is the model that we are implementing:
1. Identify all of the instructors, administrators, CTE directors, and personnel at the state department of education in our territory that have an impact on secondary programs related to our industry.
2. Partner with the state department of education to encourage all programs in the state to become PrintED accredited.
a. Because of accountability measures proposed in the federally funded Perkins Act, all CTE programs must offer a nationally recognized certification to their students. PrintED is the only game in town.
3. Partner with the state department of education to offer professional development to teachers.
a. In our case this takes the form of a 3-day intense workshop during the summer and 1 day of professional development during the school year.
4. Host a curriculum repository based on PrintED competencies.
a. We started this for teachers in our territory; however, we have participants from OH, MI, and PA as well. Rather than re-invent the wheel, join our effort. It’s free. The only requirement is that you are PrintED accredited or in the process of becoming PrintED accredited. This is necessary to respect the licensing policy of the PrintED competencies.
5. Provide a live link from industry to the classroom. The cost of the setup was minimal. All you need is a cart, computer with wireless capabilities and the ability to link to a digital camcorder, a digital camcorder, a decent microphone, video conferencing software (Skype is free and works in most places), and a willing industry partner.
6. Use video conferencing to link geographically dispersed instructors so that they can share ideas, lend support, develop curriculum, and collaborate in anyway possible to make their lives easier.
a. We have a standing Sunday night meeting online using iVisit. In the spring we collaborated to create a PDF web quest that addresses 15 PrintED competencies. Our current focus is the development of recruiting materials for secondary programs. All are welcomed.
7. Ask instructors to identify those students who they feel are a good match for the industry. Once identified, proactively track these students through their secondary and post-secondary careers to give them all of the help and encouragement needed to stay on the path into our industry.
8. Organize advisory committees for each secondary program.
9. Organize the SkillsUSA regional and state competitions.
10. Nominate outstanding programs for national awards.
11. Promote the successes of local programs in association publications.
12. Promote PrintED to the industry.
13. Recognize PrintED certified students and match them with opportunities in industry.
“Let’s get busy. We can ALL help. We don’t need to wait for the next big trade show; we can’t count our trade associations. What we need is do is meet online, person to person, one by one, and we need to start NOW. We have already waited too long.”
My sentiments exactly (except for the association part). We have been busy. We need your help. Can you attend Sunday’s online meeting?
Paul Foster
Vice President
Printing and Graphics Association, MidAtlantic
(email hidden address not shown)
410-319-0900
By Ed Danielczyk on Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
As a follow on to both Paul and Annette’s well crafted messages, vendors who supply solutions to this industry must be engaged to begin resolving this problem in earnest. Xerox, residing in Rochester NY and in close proximity to RIT, presents us with a unique opportunity to partner in creating initiatives focused on the advancement of this industry. In 2006 Xerox and RIT collaborated in creating a professional development weekend for graphic arts educators who represent the K-12 Career and Technology Centers. These are the folks who are educating the future workforce for our industry. The intent of this profession development weekend was to expose this audience to the new and exciting world of digital production printing solutions and related/supporting software technologies such as new advancements in digital imaging/editing, standards, etc. that are revolutionizing our industry. Xerox was honored to host this audience at the Xerox Gil Hatch Center for Creative Innovation where these educators experienced first hand the wonders of high speed digital printing and the unique applications that can be produced using them. Yes, we had the opportunity to strut our stuff but in reality, the intent was to send these educators back to their classrooms with a new level of excitement that would entice students to pursue a career in this exciting new field. In 2007 we again had the opportunity and pleasure to collaborate with RIT by hosting the International Graphics Arts Education Association’s annual meeting again at the Xerox Gil Hatch Center for Creative Innovation. Our objective was to learn from this audience what we as a vendor can do in support of their efforts to educate the new workforce and again demonstrate the possibilities that the latest digital printing technologies can offer the market place.
Paul Foster had referenced on several occasions the value offered by the PrintEd organization. Xerox was proud to be part of an industry effort sponsored by PrintEd to create a new series of competencies focused entirely on the new world of digital production printing. Xerox believes new entrants into the workforce should be certified by an organization such as PrintEd. Having such a certification conveys a certain skill level to prospective employers. To facilitate creating a new workforce of “digital craftsman”, Xerox has created an instructional curriculum which is focused on the newly published PrintEd digital production printing competencies. The target population for this curriculum would be students enrolled in a Career Technology Center’s graphic communication program, Technical Community Colleges offering a similar course of study or other programs that are intended to prepare the future workforce who will support our industry.
The initiatives mentioned above are only a few and we hope to do more in 2008 and beyond. Collectivity, if we all pool our energies, we can make great progress addressing the concerns/issues expressed by Annette and Paul