Involve parents

When approaching young people/students through company visits, technical school visits or at trade fairs, it is useful to involve the parents as they have a strong impact on the decision making of young people and often lack knowledge about job opportunities ion the paper industry

Social media

To spread the word and make the sector more appealing to the new generation, use and leverage on social media – such as Instagram, TikToka but also platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook

Sectoral image

To make the sector more attractive, it is essential to rework and restructure its image and identity with a view to young people

Communication Campaigns

To boost the attractiveness of the sector, focus on creating and launching communication campaigns that are specifically oriented to young people and speak « their language »

ITALY | Lucca Paper Educational District – Post graduate specialization course « Paper19 »

Lucca paper district plays a strategic role in the Italian national industry, with more than 100 companies and a strict connection with the territory, that is fulfilled also with a strong commitment to the educational world.
During the last decades, thanks to the dedication, engagement and cooperation between the industrial sector, university, high technical institutes and Confindustria Toscana Nord – the local branch of the National Industry Association – they have been able to build an extraordinary technical education system. The general purpose is to train young people transmitting them technical knowledge and to attract and retain skilled young workers in the pulp and paper industry.
By building a structed educational system, that is organized through different levels, they work with the aim of transferring and increasing the professional skills and expertise of the young people, in order to help them obtaining high level competences that are valuable for the paper industry. These educational initiatives are part of a complex system, starting from the guidance seminars organized in the middle school, to technical high school courses specifically designed on pulp and paper industry needs, to the higher level of university education.

Brief description of the best practice:
Paper19 is a two-year post graduate specialization course developed to train young graduate technicians and qualify them as SUPERIOR TECHNICIANS FOR PRODUCTION IN THE PAPER SECTOR. The course consists of 2000 hours of training: 1200 hours take place in classrooms/laboratories, while an 800 hours internship is organized in the companies.
This specialization has been realized thanks to the ITS PRIME Foundation, that requested the total funding of the initiative to the regional government.
ITS Prime, cooperating with Formetica and the associated companies of the paper and paper converting supply chain, structured the two-year course in coordination with Assocarta, Celsius, Lucense and Start, a professional technical center in which all the technical institutes of the territory participate (Polo Fermi-Giorgi, ISIS of the Lucca plain, ISI Garfagnana, IIS Galilei in Viareggio, Marchi-Forti Institute in Pescia).
This specialization course is characterized by the top quality of the training delivered, as well as a high percentage of placement at the end of the course (over 90%).

Key stakeholders:
– Teachers
– Pulp and Paper companies
– Students (graduates, aged between 18 and 29)

Specific Benefits:
– For teachers: most of them are first of all employees of the Paper companies, so providing the students with a practical and theoretical training perfectly aligned with the business requisitions. This is a way to carry out an initial training very specific to potential future workers.
– For companies: they are the main beneficiaries of highly qualified human resources who have been trained on specific content that are based upon their needs.
– For students: through these courses, graduated students reach a theoretical and practical education in a very short time, thus allowing them to know the companies located in the territory and tohave a live experience during the internship.

Conditions for success:
– Companies involvement in terms of technical human resources, essential for structuring a specialist training program, and availability for carrying out workshops, lectures, internships, tutoring;
– Strong local promotional activities to sponsor the initiatives

POLAND | End of the school year: scholarships

As part of the International Paper’s collaboration with the school Complex No. 2 in Kwidzyn, scholarships are awareded to the best students in grades II, III.

Key stakeholders:
– School Complex No. 2 in Kwidzyn
– International Paper

Conditions for success:
There needs to be a greater focus on local activities.

POLAND | Individual program for outstanding students

As part of International Paper’s collaboration with the school Complex No. 2 in Kwidzyn, an approach focused on the development of the individual and tailoring the program to the needs of a specific participant is implemented: this includes mentoring, participation in company training, 1: 1 interviews, scholarship for studies.

Key stakeholders:
– International Paper
– Schools and training institutions in Kwidzyn

Conditions for success:
An approach focused on the development of the individual and tailoring the program to the needs of a specific participant.

POLAND | 5th County Technical Knowledge Competition

As part of International Paper’s collaboration with the school Complex No. 2 in Kwidzyn, a County Technical Knowledge Competition is organized along with the awarding of prizes and gifts to other participants.

Key stakeholders:
– School Complex No. 2 in Kwidzyn
– International Paper

Conditions for success:
By its very nature, competitions are based on natural competition and the pursuit of development.

FINLAND | In-depth training in technical fields for student counsellors

Chemical, Technology and Forest industries of Finland gather groups of 15-25 student counsellors from upper secondary schools and high schools around Finland to learn more about the industries, which are the biggest export industries in the country. The programme has consisted of 2-3 intensive learning periods lasting 2 days, and in between, student counsellors have had an opportunity to visit manufacturing plants from our industries.

Key stakeholders:
– Finnish Forest Industries Federation
– Chemical Industry Federation of Finland
– Technology Industries of Finland

Specific Benefits:
Student counsellors have a crucial part in advising young people on their career paths. By giving a chance to take part in this course, we not only provide up-to-date info on our industries, but keep in contact with this important group of professionals. Furthermore, student counsellors who have taken part in this training have better acquirements for their job and can spread information among their colleagues.

Conditions for success:
Commitment of participants to involve all parts of the training, well-planned and interesting programme.