The print industry's troubled relationship with training has been well documented in the pages of this magazine, so it probably didn't come as much of a surprise to most readers when the London College of Communication (LCC) announced its intention to "rest" its higher education print courses due to a lack of applicants. What probably was a surprise was a u-turn two weeks later, when the courses were made available again. As PrintWeek went to press, the degrees were available through UCAS.

This turnaround is symptomatic of a wider rebirth of print training, with efforts being made to ensure it is more accessible to the sector. For instance, earlier this year, Proskills got the green light for its National Skills Academy. In addition, a number of colleges have linked up with companies and unions in a bid to make training more accessible - one has even started to offer training online. But will this be enough to secure a steady stream of skilled print industry workers in both the short- and the long-term and, if not, what more needs to be done?

Training wasn't always such a problem for the industry. In the past, there were "around 60" print colleges dotted around the country, according to John Proctor, business manager for digital communications at Leeds City College. But that number has slowly whittled away over the past decade thanks to the general decline in manufacturing and the costs associated with providing suitable training facilities.

Bernard Rutter, Sector Skills Council co-ordinator at Unite, explains: "The system of learning has changed and over the past five to six years we have been losing colleges.

The problem is that most further education colleges did not have the appropriate output - getting the right equipment in is expensive," says Rutter.

The knock-on effect of these closures has seen print industry training suffer. Take-up of apprenticeship schemes has waned and, according to Dani Novick, managing director at Mecury Search and Selection, a lack of knowledge as to what is on offer in terms of training also hasn't helped.

She says: "During the past few years, it has become apparent that the relatively low take-up of training in the industry was, in large part, owing to a lack of understanding. Many employers simply don't know what is available or how to access it. Moreover, there is a feeling it is shrouded in red tape: the admin and access to training and government funding is just too complex to bother with."

She recalls a Stationers' Company careers day, during which careers officers reported that they were struggling to find information on careers in print. It was apparent to Novick that there was an urgent need to follow up on the sterling efforts of PrintIT!, which had been successful in generating plenty of interest in print from school children.

New training website
With that in mind, Mercury, in association with the BPIF, has launched skills4print.com, a website that aims to give employers, those interested in courses or apprenticeships, plus tutors and parents, details on what training is available. The site has something for everyone and is free to use.

"So many people complain about the lack of training available or the lack of take-up," adds Novick. "We now have something that can help, so I hope everyone will get behind it. Of course, the more candidates we can get on the site, the better, so we will be promoting it to schools involved in PrintIT! and with careers officers in general."

For employers, the site gives an overview of what funding is available and what roles can be apprenticed; employers can advertise apprentice vacancies free of charge with applications going directly to them. BPIF Training will be notified of vacancies and applications and give support to the employer.

It's a timely initiative, with Proskills also unveiling a major platform in the drive to improve training. The National Skills Academy was launched last week and will have a network of regional representatives providing a one-stop-shop for training.

"More funding has gone into the industry for training in the last 12 months," explains Terry Watts, Proskills chief executive. "The academy will have the resources."

It will also have a nationwide reach, which is imperative given that print colleges are few and far between, according to Rutter. He argues that the academy will get training out to regions that haven't been well served of late. "The launch of the academy has come at the right time and we have been pushing Proskills for this for some time," says Rutter.

Unite was also involved in another training initiative announced last month, gaining funding from Advantage West Midlands to support the Evolve Project. This project was created by the Polestar Group and developed by Leeds City College, with the aim of allowing employees to improve their skills and gain qualifications.

"It's the way forward," says Leeds College's Proctor, who adds that there is a similar link-up with News International's print sites. "You have to take the classroom to the workforce."

The college has also been providing its City and Guilds print courses online with encouraging results - more than 300 adults have signed up. Some even logged in and studied on Christmas day, according to Proctor.

Range of options
While the Leeds-Polestar model may work for some people, it's very much a case of horses for courses, says Proskills' Watts. "Leeds has a very good online product. But we found that there are plenty of employees out there that don't have access to the internet, as they spend a lot of their time in the press hall. Our academy is using as many tools as we can for training."

Les Claridge, associate dean at the LCC's school of print and publishing, agrees with Watts' assessment, adding that training packages should be tailored to meet the needs of individuals or individual companies. "You need to work out your marketplace," says Claridge. "You have to look for the appropriate learning environment and support. It needs to be a very positive learning experience, but you have to be selective."

Whatever training option suits a company's or an employee's requirements, Claridge says one thing is clear: "Education is very important for the development of the economy." He adds that, despite the fleeting demise of the college's degree courses, the LCC remains fully committed to the print and publishing sector.

"It's about how we can best provide quality results," explains Claridge. "I have been brought up with printing and I look on the sector with a great deal of affection. This is a changing world and we want to see a future where what we do has a value."

It's been a long hard road for the print industry to push learning and training higher up the agenda and, while several colleges, print firms and organisations have done their damndest to underline its importance to the industry's future, more still needs to be done. Recent initiatives are a step in the right direction, but unless the industry as a whole takes learning and training seriously, it will emerge from the recession weaker for it.

TRAINING TIMELINE

• November 2007 Print was named and shamed as one of the worst sectors for staff training. The government report claimed that just one in five print firms had a training budget and only half of all employees received any form of training. Meanwhile, Plymouth College of Art and Design closed its print department, blaming government policy.
• May 2008 UK print colleges join forces to form the Print Industry Network of Trainers. The first colleges to sign up were Leeds College of Technology, More Training City College Manchester, Leicester College and Yeovil College.
• November 2008 The government creates a £350m fund to help SMEs after a campaign from the Sector Skills Council. Meanwhile, Proskills claims that the training funds available to companies are underused.
• March 2009 Proskills gives its backing to a government framework, The Qualifications and Credit Framework, for accrediting qualifications allowing companies to gain recognition for their in-house training.
• April 2009 The BPIF appoints Kathy Woodward as executive chairman and Kay Smith as director of change development. Their remit within BPIF Training is to help forms use money available for training, primarily via apprenticeships.
• June 2009 The London College of Communication is set to restructure and later this year it will decide how the three remaining schools, Printing & Publishing, Graphic Design, and Media, will merge into two facilities. It made its higher education courses available again after initially announcing they would be rested.
• June 2009 Proskills establishes the employer-led National Skills Academy. The academy is a route for printers to access the £62m training fund. The money comes from the Learning Skills Council.