Types of training
The type of training provided to the workforce must match the learning styles and disciplines for the various levels within the groups of employees. Managerial level employees will have had college experience, where they learned to be attentive throughout a lecture. Those with college experience will absorb the most from an off-site learning center and have the ability to self-tutor. However, most pressroom employees have only had high school experience where learning is conducted through short tutorship with hands on practice.
Having been both University lecturer for extended education courses and hands on pressroom trainer, I have seen first hand the effectiveness of each learning discipline. Typically, when off-site education is provided, only 25% of the knowledge offered during the course ever gets back to the pressroom. When this selective knowledge is passed on to the operators, perhaps only another selective 25% is retained making the learning experience only 6% effective. In house training on the other hand, is at least 4 times more effective for approximately the same cost. When a customized in-house training program is developed, the effectiveness can be 8 times higher than broad subject off-site training.

Identifying the skills
The National Council for Skill Standards in Graphic Communications has determined that an expert, skilled lead press operator, uses over 250 individual skills when setting up and running a press. These skills can be broken down into: Communication, Manual, Intellectual and Administrative skills. Without the whole set of skills, a lead press operator does not have the necessary tools to do his job efficiently, affecting both print quality and productivity. Therefore training pressroom personnel should take a high priority in every competitive converting company.
However, unless you can measure the current skill levels, the training can be ineffective, as people hate to be patronized by being taught things they already know. In education, there is a fine line between being excited about learning new skills and having their intelligence insulted by the trainer.

Effective training
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the existing pool of knowledge within the pressroom, and to increase that knowledge with training, requires a commitment by all parties concerned. Upper management, middle management and the press crews need to understand and be committed to the training program. Therefore the first step in the program is to motivate the workforce as a whole by aligning the company goals to those of the employees. The benefits of any training program must be explained to those who will receive the training, with a bias towards what is in it for me
From a management viewpoint, investment in training can be far more cost effective than capital investment. Whereas capital investment must be recuperated over a long period of time, the investment in training can have immediate benefits in both quality and productivity. For the operator, the benefits may be less obvious but mak

ing life easier by having a full set of skills should be top of the list. Motivational management is the key to this initial step.

Identify the training needs The next step is to identify the training needs for both the individual and the crew as a whole. This has been done in other industries by using a self-assessment ballot that lists all the skills necessary to perform a particular task. Each member of the press crew; lead operator, assistant and helper will require separate skill sets to be effective members of the team and should therefore be balloted separately. In addition, his or her peers or immediate superior could also evaluate each member of the team in confidence, in order to build an unbiased skill profile.
Individual and group profiles can be further broken down into the various skill levels required in the pressroom environment.

1. Trainee - skills required to be safe around moving print machinery
2. Pressroom assistant - the basic safety skills plus the minimum skills required to load, unload substrate and help clean the press between runs
3. Assistant press operator - the skills of the pressroom assistant plus those required to help setup and run the press
4. Proficient operator - the skills of the assistant operator plus those required to run the press when the lead operator is indisposed
5. Lead operator - the proficient operator skills, plus the organizational and administrative skills to meld the press crew into a team
6. Pressroom tutor - the expert lead operator skills plus the teaching skills necessary to organize and run the training program

Training resources When the existing skill profiles have been gathered and collated, the next task is to develop the resources and assemble a training program to fill the skill deficiencies. Employee training must be a continuous process for several reasons: -

1. There is continual movement of skilled personnel throughout the printing industry
2. Promotions within a pressroom may leave a temporary void in the skill pool
3. New employees may not have all the skills necessary for the particular print disciplines or product mix
4. It is estimated that 70% of press crews need to improve their current skills to be more productive
5. Continuously advancing technology demands even more pressroom skills, therefore 100% of the workforce will need training in the future
6. Tomorrow's market will be more competitive requiring higher quality, service and customer satisfaction