“There are many highly skilled professionals within the industry; however, they can be difficult to source and retain, which further highlights the importance of developing new talent pipelines.” Alongside training for newcomers, recruitment agencies like Matching Talent With Opportunity (MTWO) work hard to bring in fresh talent. Nathan Mclauchlan, head of signage at MTWO, explains that beyond the issue of bringing in what he calls “new blood”, another challenge when recruiting can be the expectations of the workforce. He explains: “Since Covid-19, the working world has been sent into a bit of a whirlwind. It feels as though any job has a potential at being hybrid nowadays, and everyone wants flexibility and work life balance (rightly so of course, we all work to live). “However, within signage a lot of businesses aren’t currently set up to facilitate hybrid working, and as a result miss out on some really strong people coming into the workplace.” According to Mclauchlan, being visible and vocal is also highly important for signage businesses to find new talent. He continues: “The main reason younger people don’t get into signage is because they don’t know it exists. You need to plant the seed of signage into their heads before they even think about what career they want.” Mclauchlan highlights a number of initiatives that work to support the younger generation. These include trade association FESPA UK, which offers support through initiatives including The Next Generation project for young industry professionals. He also mentions The Printing Charity’s Rising Star Awards, which supports print and its associated industries by highlighting the work of young people within it. Worldwide Viewpoint While a focus on UK organisations is important, it is also worth noting that the modern industry landscape is international – and with global collaboration more common than ever, your next signage professional may come from elsewhere in the world. One organisation very aware of this international approach is PRINTING United Alliance, a North American trade association that provides training and education for professionals around the world. Joe Marin, senior vice president of Member Services at PRINTING United Alliance, oversees a number of services including the organisation’s eLearning platform, iLEARNING+. As Marin describes: “Print and signage are complex industries to enter. There's a steep learning curve with the language, workflow, equipment, and materials. None of it is intuitive to someone walking through the door and seeing it for the first time. A big part of what we do is help companies and individuals shorten that curve through practical, industry-specific education and training.” Marin also concurs with some of our other contributors that the industry doesn't have the same visibility as other trades, saying: “Young people considering careers in manufacturing or technology often don't think of print and signage as an option – even though it's creative, technical, and genuinely interesting work. Therefore, companies are competing for a smaller pool of candidates who already understand what the industry involves.” The best recruitment approach, Marin, believes, is to “hire for attitude and aptitude, then invest in training,” including eLearning platforms as an important part of the mix. The Alliance's iLEARNING+ platform is built specifically for training those in the print and signage industries. Marin illustrates that iLEARNING+ is “not generic business training repurposed for a print audience.” He adds: “The courses are contextualised for how this industry actually works, which makes a real difference in how quickly people can apply what they're learning.” More Opportunities ThanEver With a revamped landscape of modern apprenticeships, specialised training hubs, and a newfound commitment to mentorship, the UK signage industry is certainly putting its money where its mouth is in terms of combating labour shortages and an ageing industry. The initiatives are in place, the doors are wide open, and the tools are in hand. Whether this will be enough to finally close the dreaded skills gap, however, remains to be seen. TRAINING AND ENTRY POINTS | JONATHAN PERT 36 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 265 - June | July A number of UK initiatives have been launched in recent years to combat skills and labour shortages in signage You need to plant the seed of signage into their heads before they even think about what career they want
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