Esko has shared its knowledge of flexible packaging with graphic arts students during its fourth Flexible Packaging Honours Class.

 

The two-week initiative, developed by the Artevelde University College’s Graphical and Digital Media department, is designed for students at the top of their university class. It focuses on the production of flexible packaging, including design, prepress, file handling and plate making operations. The course was held June 18-29 at Esko’s headquarters in Ghent, Belgium.

 

During the training, students experienced technological and practical aspects and learned how to streamline packaging production. In addition to students from Artevelde, the group included students from the School of Engineering and Management, Switzerland, and Seneca College and Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. 

 

“We were very proud to welcome the most ambitious and most talented students of international packaging universities for the fourth time,” says Jan De Roeck, director of solutions management, Esko. “As leaders in the packaging industry, we are investing in the future by supporting the professional education of these young graduates. A mix of theoretical classes, hands-on workshop and customer production environment visits give them an in-depth 360 view on flexography.”

 

Jochen Verbrugghe, commercial assistant at Crea Print Group, says the Honors Class gave him the opportunity to get to know Esko’s tools, including WebCenter Automation Engine and Studio Visualizer.

 

“The packaging industry is very diverse and work is never the same,” he said. “Meeting deadlines, supporting customers with optimization and streamlining packaging set up requirements are just of few of the processes you can manage smartly while offering added value to the customer.”

 

Students in the academic year prior to graduation are welcome to apply for one of the 20 Honours Class seats. To be accepted, students must have a mastery of Adobe Creative Suite applications and a general understanding of prepress production steps, processes and functions. Students who are approved for the program will be invited to complete and submit preparatory work in order to fully prepare for the program.

 

At the end of the training, students received a certificate of participation, an advantage when applying for a job in the packaging sector. In some countries, students can also receive training credits by attending the Honours Class.