An intuition kicked off the project, which turned out to meet a pressing need in the entire industry. The birth of the Atelier della stampa - Milano academy a year ago, could be summarised as the training centre created by the Selis brothers, owners of the company Market Screentypographic (MST), international distributor of textile printing machinery.

Thirty years of experience in the industry have served to build up a wealth of knowledge, not only of the tools needed to perform printing jobs with all available technologies, but of the complex mechanism that governs the entire production process. Hence the decision to make the skills needed to work as efficiently as possible available to already active operators and those undertaking this activity for the first time. As Fabrizio Selis, Partner and CEO of MST as well as Founder and Trainer of the Atelier della Stampa, states: 'The problem is not so much learning how to use a machine, but inserting the printing phase within a more articulated path, comprising a business offer, analysis of the different possible solutions, graphic design processing, communication and marketing'.

The training school, consisting of a teaching staff of specialists in the various types of printing (screen printing, embroidery, digital, sublimation, thermal transfer, CO2 laser) offers courses to learn the most specifically technical notions, from prototyping to the preparation of data sheets to the creation of special effects for branding strategies, with a broad spectrum approach that integrates all the functions that are essential to lead a company to success.

“Today, competition is very high, explains Selis, delivery times are getting faster and faster, not to mention the struggle over prices and ever-changing technology. It is no longer possible to work as we did in the past, running after customers' requests in a perpetual state of urgency. Time is a resource that must be used to improve industrial processes and avoid waste, first of all by building a close-knit team, capable of communicating and speaking functionally throughout the production chain”.

It is also for this reason that courses dealing with marketing and business organisation have been provided within the academy, and requests from companies to receive on-site consultancy (but also online, in a sort of “printing first aid”) to check the entire industrial process with the Atelier experts, from the order phase to the final execution of the job order, are growing at the same rate.

Basically, it is necessary to optimise each stage of the operational chain: the salesman must know in detail the types of machining available in order to suggest the one that best suits the customer's needs; the graphic designer must know what problems the technician encounters on the machines and the latter in turn cannot ignore the graphics peculiarities.

"The time when each person only did his or her part is over - Selis reiterates - and today, in order to get the most out of work, it is essential to share knowledge and information, as well as to invest in continuous training”.

This is a fact. As technology is constantly evolving, we need to keep abreast of everything that revolves around the personalised printing market, from fabrics to inks, yarns to films and the many ways in which they can be used. A complexity that should not frighten, because there are infinite possible solutions and because it stimulates creativity, which appeals to many young people who choose graphic design studies with the prospect of entering this workplace. The Atelier also serves in this respect as a tool to match supply and demand. The students who complete the course of study have the opportunity to gain direct experience on all types of machines in the laboratory, coming into contact with the different technologies, but also discovering the different professional roles sought by companies.

From orientation to training, from experience in the field to finding a job, the step is short if the preparation of the new recruits corresponds in a timely manner to the professional figures sought by the sector's operators.

Selis emphasises that "the profession has changed over time; one can no longer refer to the self-taught approach so common among printers. The young people we train come to the company with creative skills and a thorough preparation that the most astute entrepreneurs know how to channel into the organisation”.

JOBisogno which not only collects applications from job seekers in the world of printing, but also offers a chance for candidates to showcase themselves as freelancers or make themselves available for contract manufacturing.

A vision of the market that focuses on the cultural growth of all the industry players, not least the promotional agencies for which Atelier della Stampa has already devised ad hoc training courses, which it will present at the next PTE edition.