PRINTING United Alliance Strengthens Workforce Development

PRINTING United Alliance, the largest and most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in North America, reaffirmed its long-term commitment to strengthening the industry’s workforce pipeline through expanded training, education, and student and educator support initiatives from carefully curated 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 and subject matter experts across today’s most in-demand topics, while also offering free membership to students and educators to ensure broad, barrier-free access to learning, credentials, and professional resources. Plus, students receive two years of membership for free after graduation to continue their transition into the workforce. All of this is made possible by the support received through the many paid memberships to the Alliance.

An investment in the Future of our Industry

Through its iLEARNING+ platform and broader education strategy, the Alliance is helping schools, instructors, and students build real-world, job-ready skills aligned with the evolving needs of the printing and graphic arts industry. Popular and fast-growing courses that students and educators have free access to include foundational training such as Print 101: Introduction to the Printing Industry, core technical disciplines like color management, and forward-looking topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, ensuring learners are prepared for both today’s production environments and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Alliance Workforce Development by the Numbers

The Alliance currently provides membership to 63 educational institutions worldwide and over 2,200 students and educators, as well as has granted over 300 post-graduate memberships. Today, 44 of those educational institutions worldwide are actively using Alliance education resources, serving more than 600 students and educators and driving nearly 1,500 course and certification enrollments to date. Participation has grown dramatically year over year, reflecting rising demand for accessible, industry-aligned training.

In addition to expanding access, the Alliance has made a significant financial investment in education, donating almost a quarter of a million dollars in two years in course and certification value to support workforce development and academic programs. Students now take an average of 2.5 courses each, demonstrating both the depth of engagement and the practical value of the curriculum.

“Workforce development isn’t a side initiative for our industry; it’s a strategic imperative,” said Ford Bowers, CEO, PRINTING United Alliance. “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. 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.”

The Alliance’s education programming spans production, color and quality management, operations, business strategy, and advanced technologies, ensuring that students and educators are learning from the same experts and frameworks shaping today’s print businesses. The iLEARNING+ platform also plays a critical role in helping printers educate and develop both new and existing employees.

"These courses and certifications help set our students up for success in the field,” said Dr. Celeste Calkins, assistant professor, Illinois State University. “To come out of their undergrad with two industry certifications, as well as other course experience, shows industry leaders that they are motivated, engaged, and prepared to continue learning in their career. Seeing my students take the knowledge they receive in class and through iLEARNING+ and be successful in this industry is one of the most rewarding things there is. To have employers reach out asking for more of our students based on the success of those who came before is priceless.”

Dr. Charles Weiss, professor of Graphic Communications at Clemson University, said, “I teach a senior capstone course where students are learning about operations management, and I’ve been able to incorporate iLEARNING+ into our program. We also do cost estimating, and there is a really great certification on iLEARNING+ for operations management cost estimating. My students take that as well, which is really cool because they can actually put something on their resume that is relevant. Many of my students have additionally shared that they have been using iLEARNING+ on their own, which is terrific.”

Tara Seth, student at Ferris State University, said, “Having access to iLEARNING+ for two years after graduation is incredibly valuable, especially as you transition into the workforce. There are so many courses that are both interesting and beneficial. Early in your career, you’re still learning every day, and this allows you to be a sponge—building new skills, adding value to your employer, and setting yourself up for future success. It shows a real commitment to going above and beyond to learn new skills.”

Pairing World-Class Instruction with Membership for the Future Workforce

By pairing world-class instruction with free membership for students and educators, the Alliance is removing barriers to entry, strengthening connections between education and industry, and helping ensure the next generation of print professionals is prepared to lead. This ongoing investment reflects the Alliance’s broader mission to serve not only today’s printing businesses, but also the educators and students who will shape the industry’s future.

For more information about PRINTING United Alliance education and workforce development programs, visit www.printing.org and www.ilearningplus.org.

Join the Alliance
For more information about joining the Alliance for access to leading industry education, training, programming, services, resources, and more; visit www.printing.org/membership.

About PRINTING United Alliance
PRINTING United Alliance is the most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in North America, comprised of the industry’s vast communities. The Alliance serves industry professionals across market segments with preeminent education and training via iLEARNING+, workshops, events, research, government and legislative representation, safety, and environmental sustainability guidance, as well as resources from our leading media brands – Printing Impressions, Packaging Impressions, Wide-format Impressions, In-plant Impressions, Apparelist, and Promo Impressions. The Alliance is also a global leader in standards training and certification for printing and graphic arts operations across the entire industry supply chain.

PRINTING United Alliance also produces PRINTING United Expo, the most influential days in printing. The expansive display of technology and supplies, education, programming, and services are showcased to the industry at large, and represents all market segments in one easily accessed place.