Esko and Ryerson University students participated in a successful edition of this summer’s Honors Class in Flexible Packaging. The Honors Class was organized in cooperation with the Artevelde University College Ghent.

The class provides a complementary, in-depth course on Flexible Packaging Prepress. Returning after a successful Summer Class last year, this year it was formalized with credits and widened to include international partners of Artevelde University College.

“Esko invited students outside of the Artevelde University this year. Ryerson University was the only participant from North America and represented five of the twenty students who participated,” explains Ian Baitz, chair, School of Graphic Communications Management, Ryerson University. “They received university credits, participated in plant tours, and were taught by Esko engineers and instructors who are experts in their solutions. Students were able to focus for two full weeks on the content of the course and nothing else. There were 80 hours of classroom time which, in terms of Ryerson, represented two full semester courses.”

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.

Jan De Roeck, director of Solutions Management at Esko, says the course was a great success. “We know that all of the students who attended our program have a very good educational and technical foundation due to the high quality of the classes,” he explains. “We are very excited to add our industry expertise to this high-quality education program.”

The initiative reinforces 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 Ryerson. “While a good, broad, 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,” De Roeck adds. “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.”