PrintingNews.com

When it comes to improving skills and learning new ones, where does your shop fall on the scale? Are you one of those who invests a considerable amount of time and money in your employees, always making sure they're on the cutting edge? Or do you not invest any time or money, requiring employees who want to learn more to do it on their own time, if you or they think of it at all? Or, more likely, you fall somewhere in between.

"Training and education in a print shop should be considered 'professional development,'" said Lloyd Carr, director, Graphic Arts Program, New York City College of Technology. "It helps to sustain profits from labor through optimization of policies, procedures, and meeting the challenging dynamics of making things operate better every day. Rather than try to quantify training and education as a separate activity, on-going professional development can positively affect the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of a print shop's operation, just as the culture of craftsmanship did in the development of industry in the early 20th century. To ask, 'how much is too much, and how much is not enough training and education,' devalues the importance of life-long learning, critical thinking, and pro-active problem solving that are significant factors in successful print shop operations."

Why Train?

There are many different reasons to invest in yourself and your employees if you think long term. It may be an up-front investment, but in the long run, it builds team cohesiveness and effectiveness, and improves the overall efficiency of your shop. In a world where time is money, giving employees the skills to do more in less time is a powerful advantage for your business.

Another major reason to invest in professional development is the younger generation. The individuals entering today's workforce have a very different mentality toward work than people even a single generation ago. They have grown up in a world where they were taught anything was possible, and the best investment they can make is in themselves, as that's the only constant in the workplace. Layoffs, pink slips, demotions, and pay cuts have all had major effects on this generation as they've watched their parents struggle, in many cases. That means if you want to bring in young, fresh perspectives, you need to offer incentives they'll be interested in.

You might be surprised to know that money, while important, may not be the most important factor.

If you want to keep younger employees for a long period of time, your best tactic is to offer them training and education. If you create an environment that encourages them to grow and explore new areas of expertise, and you are willing to mentor them and offer suggestions on what they should learn next and a path for their own personal growth within your organization, you'll not only have a well-educated, competent employee, you'll have a loyal employee.
Of course, like anything else in life, training and education isn't a magic pill to fix everything in your business.

"Unfortunately, benefits are normally balanced by downsides," noted Carr. "Three downside factors may be: (a) Increased competition based on unrealistic pricing, rather than other criteria. (b) Loss of jobs due to automation of functions without the professional development and repurposing of personnel. Or, unemployment increases due to loss of businesses because of their failure to integrate and automate functions. (c) Increase in frustration and aggravation due to a failure to understand how to develop a better business, even though others are successful. A lack of formal or informal education supports this situation."