The parlous state of training in the print industry has been an issue for decades, with the common consensus being that, even if funding is available the criteria is such that for an industry that has traditionally relied on in-house training, the purse strings are drawn impossibly tight.

So, last week’s announcement by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) that a flexible £50m funding pot would be made available, is surely good news?

The money is to be distributed by the Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF), but the key point is that it is matched funding. So if a printer wants to claim £10,000 for training, it needs to put up £10,000 itself. In effect, the scheme is designed so that individual companies come up with ideas; as Proskills has put it, "it is inviting industry to help itself".

But will printers actually take advantage of the money? Will it be affordable? Or are we going to see another opportunity float by while print’s record in training worsens?

Recognition issues
While Welsh magazine printer Stephens & George (S&G) firmly believed in the principle of apprenticeships, it felt that two years training was not enough. And so, three years ago, it developed its own apprenticeship scheme.

The problem is that, while apprentices sit annual exams, they’re developed internally and do not result in recognised qualifications. S&G managing director Andrew Jones believes that the company’s standards are such that its in-house scheme generates highly skilled individuals.

However, in the eyes of those distributing government funding the lack of a recognised qualification is a deal-breaker.
As a result, while Jones says that he would be interested in accessing training grants in the future, especially with the business looking to bring in six new apprentices over the next year, because the company is not an approved apprenticeship provider, he still thinks it may miss out.

Another business that has been keen to make use of apprentices is Communisis, which set up a course with Leeds College last year. However, general manager at Communisis, Leeds Print & Direct Mail Services Ifor Pedley says that the industry also needs to develop middle managers, rather than just focus on bringing in more apprentices.

So, in theory, the flexibility of the new scheme appeals as Pedley believes the funding is perfect for a company of Communisis’s size, but says smaller businesses may struggle to get involved. "Because it is match-funded, smaller companies may be put off," he says.

This view is shared in part by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which has called for the government to make the funding available for ‘micro-businesses’ which are less likely to have their own training schemes available.

However, FSB spokesman Andrew Cave adds: "It will be limiting and that is a concern of ours. There are other organisations to assist small businesses, but in an ideal world we would like it to be available without the associated cost.
"I think a bigger issue than meeting the costs is actually finding appropriate training. This often comes down to training in bite size chunks and covering more specific issues. Traditionally, it has been difficult to find that kind of training; education views courses in a different light to small businesses. I think it needs to have more understanding of what small business needs."

Union objections
Another organisation that wasn’t happy with the announcement was Unite, which doesn’t believe it goes far enough. Assistant general secretary Tony Burke believes that the fund is merely a "knee jerk" reaction to dealing with the skills gap.
He says: "The problem is the government has no long-term strategy on skills, which is what we really need in manufacturing. There are a number of companies who do invest in the skills of their workforce. However, we are facing skill shortages because of a ‘make do and mend’ attitude from some employers and the lack of awareness of the benefits of taking on apprentices and retraining the workforce."

It seems clear that there is an opportunity here. Of course not every printer is going to be able to take advantage of the money available, but those that can’t probably have other priorities anyway. For those printers, both large and small, that are able to access the funding, this should be seen as a chance to at least find out what is out there.

As Jones says: "If funding is available we would like to take advantage of it. Anything that helps people get vocational qualifications is good."

However, as his experience illustrates, the funding criteria and the training have to be fit for purpose. And right now, while we may know how big the purse is, and who’s holding it, what we don’t know is how easy it will be to access by the sort of firms that most need it.

30-SECOND BRIEFING
Applications for funding come through three areas:
• Best market solutions Innovative ideas to drive enterprise and remove skills barriers to growth, including the introduction of voluntary professional standards and voluntary training levies
• National Skills Academies Expanding the network of National Skills Academies
• Joint Investment Programme Bringing together employer and public investment in specific training projects which improve business productivity and growth, or address skills gaps and shortages

Anyone wishing to apply for funding should contact the BPIF or Proskills.