“Win-win”
partnership helps business and students
DEKALB
TECHNICAL COLLEGE’S new Graphic Design and Communications
Academy illustrates the kind of “win-win” partnership
between industry and education that is becoming a hallmark of Georgia’s
Technical College System.
The
Academy was created in partnership with Network Communications Inc.
to provide up-to-the-minute training for local printing companies.
In return, DeKalb Tech received a host of cutting-edge equipment
and supplies.
“The
printing industry was not being represented training-wise,”
says Paul Davis, director of DeKalb Tech’s Printing and Graphics
Department. “Network Communications said they would help fund
our effort if we provided training seminars in kind for their employees.”
Network
helped the school obtain matching grants for 20 new G4 Macintosh
computers, and provided new audio-visual equipment.
The training focuses on publishing software such as QuarkXPress,
Photoshop, FlightCheck, Illustrator and Acrobat.
Lawrenceville-based
Network Communications produces real-estate digests that are distributed
throughout the United States and Canada. “Here in our production
staff, we have over 400 employees, so we have a huge need for training,”
says Stuart Christian, Network’s VP of operations.
Network’s
employees are thrilled about the Academy. “When we post the
fact that we have open slots for training at DeKalb Tech, our employees
immediately sign up for it. They love it, and they love working
with Paul,” Christian says.
Decades
ago, the printing industry required individual jobs for typesetters,
cameramen, a color corrector, etc. The advent of computer desktop
publishing changed all that. “All of the old skills are basically
gone, but the old references are there,” Davis says.
Now,
the printing industry evolves at lightning speed. New editions of
publishing software are released constantly, so employees never
stop updating skills.
“Our
instructor works very hard to stay current with technology and this
would be impossible without assistance from our industry partners,”
says Dr. Robin Hoffman, interim president of DeKalb Tech.
Students
in DeKalb Tech’s Printing and Graphics program reap big benefits
from the partnership. Contact with major local employers translates
into jobs. “Network routinely hires people directly out of
class,” Davis says.
Georgia’s
printing industry is on the rise. “We’re experiencing
double-digit growth in all our brands,” Christian says. “The
future of printing is very bright, and we’ll need more alliances
with educational facilities such as DeKalb Tech to help grow our
industry.”
“We
believe that working closely with this rapidly changing industry
benefits our students, local employers and technical education in
Georgia,” Dr. Hoffman says.
|
Page
1 of this article
FOR
DECADES, BARBARA Hill ran her own ceramics company.
“But business started slowing down. I had to do
something else,” she says.
