The Schiele Group's 'Effort to Educate' Program Generates Student Interest in Printing
As part of its "Effort to Educate" program, Schiele Group — comprising Schiele Graphics (sheetfed division) and Repro Graphics (large-format division) — has held many student training sessions since the program was founded three years ago. John Schiele, president and owner of the Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Schiele Group, saw the urgency back then in creating the program when he had a hard time finding new talent to hire.
"It became apparent then that as we were hiring new employees, finding a young person with any experience was becoming more difficult," recalls Schiele. "Some of our outside vendors felt the same. So we all teamed up and now offer the 'Effort to Educate' program several times a year."
Since its outset, the "Effort to Educate" program drew, and continues to draw, students in the graphic arts programs from Fenton High School in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Robert Morris University in Chicago.
“Today’s graphic design graduates have no idea about the different printing processes, what the different machines are used for, or all of the different substrates that can be printed on,” says Schiele. “Most graduates have never seen a swatchbook, and almost all exclusively design for the internet. We are out to change that.”
What Can a Student Expect from the Program?
As part of the program, the company works with each school to plan a full day focused on paper and printing basics. The day of training starts with a quick tour and an introduction to Schiele Group's capabilities. The students then break into four groups, and the company's prepress manager talks to each group about the best practices for designing and setting up files for print.
Schiele Group also brings in an ink company, a press manufacturer, a paper merchant, and a finishing company, where each of the representatives give 20-minute presentations. What follows is a Q&A and the students are then given swatches that they can take home with them.
Barb Nagle, quality assurance manager at Schiele Group, says that it is fascinating to see how the students perceive printing when they first enter the facility, and the amount of interest that's generated by the end of the day. "The students get excited when they see the machines come alive, such as the cool cut-out pieces for skateboard companies and hockey teams that are produced on the wide-format presses."
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- The Schiele Group
Julie Greenbaum is a contributor to Printing Impressions.