Esko hosts second Honours Class in Flexible Packaging

The Honours Class in Flexible Packaging is organized in cooperation with Artevelde University College in Ghent, and provides the school’s education program with a complementary in-depth course on flexible packaging pre-press. The Honours Class in Flexible Packaging is from this year on an official free of choice add-on program worth 13 credits supplementary to the 180 credits of the Graphic and Digital Media bachelor degree of Artevelde University College.

Esko said the initiative is another example of its long-term commitment to supporting schools and students as part of its mission to ‘educate to innovate’. This is accomplished by providing software and hardware systems and through hands-on training at a variety of educational institutions worldwide, including Artevelde.

Jan De Roeck, director of solutions management at Esko, said: ‘We know that the students of Artevelde University College have a very good educational and technical foundation due to the high quality of the lectures. We are very excited to add our industry expertise to this high quality education program.

‘While a broad and basic training is provided by the institutions, our insights into the latest innovations and practical experience in the field of packaging, signs and POS displays help develop a more business-ready understanding for students. We continuously research the market and develop solutions that address key challenges and consider it vital that we invest in ensuring that our knowledge is passed on to emerging industry talent. This Honours Class ticks all the boxes.’

New for this year’s session was the participation of international students, with nine attendees from Canada, Finland and Slovenia, next to nine Artevelde students. All of these third-year students enjoyed both a theoretical and practical education that included real-life situations, allowing them to experience the complete packaging development process from design concept to ready-to-print flexo plates. There were also visits to flexible packaging printer Segers & Belcaen, folding carton packaging printer Du Caju and flexo service provider Athena Graphics.

‘Last year’s [program] was so successful that we decided to expand the 2015 Honours Class to other partnering universities with similar bachelor degrees,’ said Luc Berth, lecturer in pre-press and workflow techniques at Artevelde University College Ghent. ‘There have been a lot of technological developments over the last years, and technology keeps evolving. It was great to see students are really fast learners. They adapted easily, and if something didn’t work out, they tried something different. This great practical experience prepares them well for entry into the workforce.

‘The Honours Class consists not only of the two weeks at the premises of Esko but also of personal work to be done beforehand and after. In the months beforehand students had to do preparatory work. This consisted of a reflection on the cultural impact of packaging towards global religions and regions. They reviewed different product packages and linked them to the Esko solutions, and personalized an existing flexible packaging design. Through this design, theory and practical execution got linked during the two weeks at Esko.’

‘We observed interesting differences between the Belgian and International participants,’ continued Berth. ‘The Canadian students were very technical. Esko software is embedded in some of their courses which gave them a head start in the practical sessions. On the other hand the international students were impressed with the company visits, something our Belgian students regularly do as part of their curriculum.’

Students who are studying Graphic Communications Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada must complete a summer internship program in the graphic arts industry between their third and fourth year of university, and one such student, Michelle Paquette, said: ‘The purpose of the internship position is to allow the students to apply their education to real life situations. This course was a great way to broaden my knowledge about the entire packaging supply chain, understand how it all works and improve my ability to explain it to other people.’

‘The nice thing about this Honours Class was that it combined all of the information we had already received from school, and we gained a more in-depth understanding of Esko’s products and software,’ said Amy Nhan, another Canadian student. ‘I thought there was very good communication between the students and Esko. It opened doors, developed cooperation with other schools and students, and created new contacts for us. The difference between the Belgian students and the Canadians was that we knew something about everything, but the Belgian students knew more about one topic.’

‘It was a great international event,’ concluded De Roeck. ‘The Honours Class is an eye opener as it gives the students the opportunity to develop new skills and to get to know the company better. It is a stepping stone towards a professional career, and everyone benefits. Students enjoy the unique experience and it presents job opportunities, Esko is able to share knowledge with future employees and Artevelde enjoys the exchange of knowledge and expertise, expanding the value of its programs.’