PRINTING United Alliance has reaffirmed its commitment to workforce development by donating nearly a quarter of a million dollars in training value and offering free memberships to students and educators.
PRINTING United Alliance has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to strengthening the print industry’s workforce pipeline. The North American member-based printing and graphic arts association is expanding its training, education, and student support initiatives through platforms such as printing.org and iLEARNING+.
As part of this commitment, the Alliance continues to invest heavily in industry-relevant education delivered by leading instructors. Topics range from foundational subjects like “Print 101” to core technical disciplines like colour management, and forward-looking areas such as artificial intelligence (AI). To ensure broad, barrier-free access, the Alliance offers free memberships to students and educators. Furthermore, students receive two years of free membership post-graduation to support their transition into the workforce.
Over the past two years, the Alliance has donated almost a quarter of a million dollars in course and certification value. The organisation currently provides membership to 63 educational institutions worldwide, supporting over 2,200 students and educators, and has granted over 300 post-graduate memberships. Currently, 44 institutions actively use the educational resources, driving nearly 1,500 course and certification enrolments. Students are taking an average of 2.5 courses each, demonstrating high engagement with the curriculum.
Ford Bowers, CEO of PRINTING United Alliance, highlights the importance of the initiative. He states, “Workforce development isn’t a side initiative for our industry; it’s a strategic imperative. From foundational courses like Print 101, to critical disciplines like color management, to emerging areas like AI, we’re focused on giving students and educators access to the same high-quality, industry-aligned training used by leading print companies.”
He adds, “By offering free membership and investing real dollars into education, we’re not just talking about the future of print, we’re actively building the talent pipeline that will sustain it. iLEARNING+ is career development available right at your fingertips.”
Educators have praised the platform’s impact. Dr. Celeste Calkins, Assistant Professor at Illinois State University, notes that graduating with industry certifications shows employers that students are motivated and prepared. Dr. Charles Weiss, Professor of Graphic Communications at Clemson University, adds that incorporating iLEARNING+ into senior capstone courses gives students relevant, resume-building certifications in areas like operations management and cost estimating.
By pairing world-class instruction with free memberships, PRINTING United Alliance aims to remove barriers to entry, strengthen the connection between education and industry, and ensure the next generation of print professionals is fully prepared to lead.
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