Overcoming Challenges With Workforce Development

WHEN ASKED “What’s your current biggest challenge?” the unanimous answer for print service providers at tradeshows and industry events, during phone calls and board meetings, on social media, and in Brain Squad surveys is hiring. Finding skilled employees who have a passion for print, don’t ghost you after accepting the job, or aren’t “quietly quitting” seems to be incredibly difficult for all of you.

The print industry needs to do a better job advocating for itself, specifically to younger, more diverse people. This is why we’ve dubbed the July/August edition the “Youth Issue.” All four features highlight ways you can find the next generation of designers, operators, and installers.

Results from our first-ever salary survey with Keypoint Intelligence can be found here. Use this data to make informed hiring decisions, then learn how to retain those hires in areas such as networking; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and culture. Next, go through our list of higher education opportunities for the print industry, including trade schools, training programs, and universities, on this page. Last but certainly not least, see how providing students with wide-format technology and knowledge can create forever fans of digital print as we highlight six students from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Use these tools to not only expand your business, but also continue to grow the entire industry.

Smart Tips From This Issue

Look at your benefits package. Sixty percent of the 2023 Wide-Format Digital Print Industry Salary Survey respondents offer insurance to full-time employees. (Special Feature)
When hiring, change your job description to be more skills based and consider people outside of the print industry. (Brain Squad)
To eliminate “even the tiniest white stroke, which can occur if the white alignment is off the slightest bit,” choke the white ink in a few pixels when you aren’t doing a full flood coat. (Benchmarks)
Promote cool jobs, new technology, industry trends, and employee milestones in your external newsletter instead of blatant advertising. (Big Business)

Adrienne Palmer

Adrienne Palmer is the editor-in-chief of Big Picture and Screen Printing magazines. She joined Big Picture magazine in 2012 after graduating from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism with a BA in magazine journalism. During her time with Big Picture, she has held the roles of assistant editor, associate editor, and managing editor; she added sister publication Screen Printing magazine to her resume in 2019. She is a 2019 Folio: Top Woman in Media; spearheads Big Picture's annual Women in Wide Format Awards and Best of Wide Format Awards as well as Screen Printing's annual Women in Screen Printing Awards; is on the board of Printing United Alliance's Women in Print Alliance and the U.N.I.T.E. Together diversity and inclusion program; hosts the Screen Saver podcast; and represents the Big Picture and Screen Printing teams at numerous industry events year-round as a speaker, moderator, and panelist.