08.10.15
Esko recently enjoyed a successful edition of the newly organized Honors Class in Flexible Packaging. The class is organized in cooperation with the Artevelde University College Ghent and provides the school’s education program with a complementary in-depth course on Flexible Packaging Prepress.
The 2015 Honors Class originated as a two week Summer class, but it subsequently formalized with credits and widened to include international partners of Artevelde University College. It is worth 13 credits supplementary to the 180 credits of the bachelor degree Graphic and Digital Media of the Artevelde University College in Ghent. The participation of international students was new for this year. Nine attendees hailed 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.
“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,” says Jan De Roeck, director of solutions management at Esko. “We are very excited to add our industry expertise to this high quality education program.
“The initiative is another example of Esko’s 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 solutions and through hands-on training at a variety of educational institutions worldwide, including Artevelde,” he adds. “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 Honors Class ticks all the boxes."
“Last year’s Summer class was so successful that we decided to expand the 2015 Honors Class to other partnering universities with similar bachelor degrees,” states Luc Berth, lecturer in prepress and workflow techniques at Artevelde University College. “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 work force.”
"It was a great international event," concludes De Roeck. "The Honors 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. 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.”
The 2015 Honors Class originated as a two week Summer class, but it subsequently formalized with credits and widened to include international partners of Artevelde University College. It is worth 13 credits supplementary to the 180 credits of the bachelor degree Graphic and Digital Media of the Artevelde University College in Ghent. The participation of international students was new for this year. Nine attendees hailed 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.
“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,” says Jan De Roeck, director of solutions management at Esko. “We are very excited to add our industry expertise to this high quality education program.
“The initiative is another example of Esko’s 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 solutions and through hands-on training at a variety of educational institutions worldwide, including Artevelde,” he adds. “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 Honors Class ticks all the boxes."
“Last year’s Summer class was so successful that we decided to expand the 2015 Honors Class to other partnering universities with similar bachelor degrees,” states Luc Berth, lecturer in prepress and workflow techniques at Artevelde University College. “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 work force.”
"It was a great international event," concludes De Roeck. "The Honors 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. 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.”