Shortage in the professions, printers and bookbinders draws from Bonn/Dusseldorf North Rhine-Westphalia is the strongest economic state. Here live about 20 percent of Germans, and NRW to the entire economic output of the Federal Republic accounted for 22 percent. The region between the Rhine and Weser is very strong also in the printing industry. NRW is Germany print site no. 1 2,500 nationwide 11,000 companies have their headquarters in this federal State, 23 percent of all printing companies and service providers. Comes with the large companies (more than 500 employees) even one-third of the companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. We are top in our industry and want to continue it in the future”,, Germany’s largest state association with 700 member companies, on the occasion of the opening of the Printhouse in Dusseldorf said Oliver Curdt, Managing Director of the Association of print and media North Rhine-Westphalia (VDMNRW).
Almost a quarter of all employees in the industry, nationwide around 170,000, are coming out NRW farms”, so Uitc next. In addition, accounted for 23 percent of all current education conditions, namely 3,800 on this State. Print is not dead, on the contrary”, the VDMNRW Managing Director said. Despite a declining number of establishments and sales of printed matter took to workers in North Rhine-Westphalia steadily in the past years. The turnover of the industry amounted to EUR 3.8 billion in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2007, an increase of 2.5 percent.
“Uitc looking optimistically to the future: we assume that the industry still continues its moderate growth, and for the year 2008, we expect a sales increase of 1.8 percent over the previous year.” A looming skills shortage, instead strategically counter printers and bookbinders, in particular for the professions. This point is already partially at least in North Rhine-Westphalia. Currently seven applications, come for an open position with the training courses for media design are only 0.7 applications in the careers of the printer. The VDMNRW will therefore in the next time use much energy on an image campaign, which meets the qualification and the advancement of a printer or a bookbinder. In addition, so Curdt, find specially for students of grades eight to ten in the summer of 2008 a so-called Summer School”in the new Printhouse in Dusseldorf held. Can young people specifically inform yourself about the apprenticeships and are actively working on programs and printing presses under the guidance. New career opportunities would be created for motivated young people initiated by the VDMNRW through a dual course of study (Association of vocational training and higher education, in shortened form over four years). The Association NRW work here nationwide leading with the universities of Wuppertal, Berlin and Stuttgart in a corresponding programme. Together with the University of Wuppertal this new, combined training and study course for high school graduates go already in the summer of 2009, starting with the year 2009, at the start. Here, our Academy takes over the part a stretched to eight semester degree Bachelor obtained parallel vocational school, at the University”, explained Uitc. Finally, he thanked the partners and sponsors of the supplier industry. Educate yourself with thoughts from Boy Scouts. Currently, you have won 15 suppliers for the Printhouse project, including Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. Together with its partners, the Association has succeeded in a project volume for IT, hardware and software, machinery and building technology with a total value of EUR 2.5 million on the legs.