From our newsletter dated 22-03-2009

". . .We would like to concentrate on our own local industry and raise a topic for discussion, your feedback and comments will be appreciated and if you wish to, please discuss this in our forum or simply send us your thoughts via e-mail, we will respect your wishes if you wish to stay anonymous, please indicate this in your e-mail to us. We will make all opinions and discussions, received via mail, freely available in our Forum as anonymous comments.

The following is our opinion and you are welcome to agree, disagree or raise your own. The aim is to raise and address the industry’s skill shortage problem.

Just over a month ago, PIFSA send out a long awaited newsletter. For the past year or three a haunting topic has been discreetly discussed but never addressed or taken further. TRAINING and SKILL SHORTAGE – ironic isn’t it, the one will automatically bring on the other?

It is very clear that the economy crunch is taking its toll on everybody and to cut spend on marketing, training, staff and entertainment is a given but then why ask or complain: “We just cannot find reliable skilled staff members!” – or – “How do we survive this crunch?” Find means to cut internal costs and do in house training?

Quoted from the PIFSA newsletter dated the 17th February 2009: “The Printing Industry Federation (PIFSA) has been committed to training since its inception as a federation in 1916. This commitment has been demonstrated in a variety of ways, the chief of which has been our financial support of the Cross Media Training Centre since MAPP SETA stopped any form of funding of the college.” . . . Does this mean MAPP SETA was the main financial support? Are membership fees to PIFSA to gain access and discount for arbitration, liquidation and CCMA case services? Was Cross Media not just a private business and does this mean, anybody can start a new training business dedicated to the print industry of South Africa and benefit support from PIFSA?

“. . .The courts decided in favour of CMTC but this apparently aggravated a deep seated animosity towards the College and PIFSA amongst certain MAPP SETA stakeholders and staff, and further funding of any nature was blocked in various ways.” If the court is in favor of CMTC, surely funding or the lack of it must be honored by the losing party? What exactly did “. . .in favour. . .” mean for the CMTC? Was the close of CMTC not maybe directly as a result of out dated curriculums?

“For some time, PIFSA has been working on a new training dispensation to meet the needs of our industry. . .In consultation with our industry however, PIFSA will drive a new training dispensation which includes updated and internationally accredited material, and which will be delivered in a cost effective way.”
This is great news but why only now, why was this not done before, why wait until the CMTC had closed its doors, leaving many students and staff at a loss of words or space? Was the writing not on the wall the day the court cases started in 2000?

How does one help an industry who does not want help? Surely, it is the industry’s responsibility to actively address pressing topics and needs with the Industry Federation, are YOU not the voice of the industry?
When will we realise and acknowledge that the Print Manufacturing industry has and is undergoing a massive change, catching up with technology, only now entering the DOT COM era?
Your business is not, well should not be, production driven anymore, and you don’t require 100 years of print experience to be a good printer. The new age printer is business orientated, production is a part of the business, not the complete business.

Did you know your equipment and systems are well out dated, yes even the ones installed yesterday? How can I make such a statement – because only 30% of its capability is used, if that much. Again, how can I make such a statement – because we do not have the skill or understanding of the full potential of it locally, noticed how many German experts are entering our industry again? Then, more so, the industry still do not believe that 80% of print production can be automated!

There is no reason why the South African Print Manufacturing industry should be 3 to 5 years behind the rest of the world, we have access to it all, apart from skill and understanding.

Look forward reading your comments in our forum, click here to access it."