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In the article, Mike outlined his vision to
develop a global framework for
continuous vocational training and
education of operators in the label
industry. He observed that education
and training has not evolved as fast as
the industry itself.
THE
CASE
FOR
INTERNATIONAL
HARMONISATION
Unlike any other segment on the
packaging scene, employees in the label
industry need to understand and handle
the complexity of the whole range of
printing technologies, combined with an
immense diversity of adhesives, coatings
and label materials.
And yet there are hardly any
international education and training
schemes or standards, the availability of
standardised training materials is limited
and there are only a few organised global
THE
LABEL
ACADEMY
A LABEL INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND
TRAINING INITIATIVE
In the FINAT Yearbook 2012, Mike Fairley reviewed the need to improve education and training in the label
industry and suggested a co-ordinated approach, with standardised modules, certification and qualifications.
What has happened, one year later? An update.
• To establish an international
‘Curriculum’
: a set of qualifications
(knowledge, skills and competences)
that employees at different levels in
the label industry should master in
order to become and remain certified.
• To develop a
Syllabus
of harmonised
modular training materials matching
the mandatory qualifications that have
been identified.
• The identification of (accredited)
supporting
training materials and
resources
(including FINAT’s own
Educational Handbook and Technical
Handbook).
• To establish a personalised
Log Book
(printed or online) where employees
in the label industry can register their
qualifications obtained (signed off by
their trainer and/or superior). Such log
Mike Fairley
resources to meet the growth in label
industry personnel, their knowledge and
skills.
A consistent programme for operators,
their middle management as well as sales
assistant departments is lacking. Existing
educational initiatives and programmes
are ad hoc and fragmented, often on the
job and aimed at the specific features
and needs of individual suppliers and
label printers. Furthermore they are
often restricted by national or language
boundaries.
THE
VISION
As a result, there is a growing gap
between the skills and competences of
employees working in the label industry,
and the increasing diversity of demand
from the market.
In Mike’s vision, the globalisation of label
markets, the internationalisation of label
standards and best practices, the
continuous flow of innovations as well as
the increasing complexity of products
and processes, they all call for an
international standardisation or
harmonisation of vocational
programmes and qualifications, and for a
culture of permanent education inside
the label industry.
TOWARDS
‘
EDUCATION
PERMA
-
NENTE
’
IN
THE
LABEL
INDUSTRY
To achieve this vision and close the
educational gap, the following six points
‘roadmap’ has been drafted:
Education and training handbooks
to complement the Modules
56
FINAT YEARBOOK
2013
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