Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/278800
w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m March 2014 • /insight on manufacturing | 19 "The printing industry is far from dead. Look at all the packaging that's out there. Flexography has the majority of the packaging industry because of its ability to print on a wide variety of surfaces." – Scott Gehrt, FVTC package and label printing instructor at FVTC "In the local area from Milwaukee to Green Bay, there are over 80 different printing companies. We have the most printers in the Midwest here in the Fox Cities," he says. e main pipeline for skilled workers at those printing companies leads right back to FVTC. Of the16 technical colleges in Wisconsin, FVTC offers the only package and label printing program. e school offers a one-year technical diploma in the field as well as a two-year associate degree. According to FVTC's Graduate Employment Research Reports, 100 percent of every year. Since I've been here we've gotten the quality award from Subway and also from McDonald's, two of our big customers," says Patton, who continues to move up within the company. "Later on this year, I'll be moving to Mississippi to be the head man down there, with a big jump in pay," he explains. "We're expanding a lot of business in Hattiesburg and I'll be the plant manager." Patton attributes his personal success to pursuing his passions, but credits the program at FVTC with being the pivotal point in his manufacturing career. "It's all due to my experience with FVTC," he says. "at's what really helped me move up in the company." F www.fvtc.edu On the web Package and Label Printing graduates landed careers within six months of graduation. "Right now, on average, we have at least five job postings per student to choose from," Gehrt adds. Patton is one student who took advantage of those odds and now has a career which supports the employment statistics. A recent graduate of FVTC's Package and Label Printing program, Patton is a quality assurance specialist who oversees work on all presses at Hattiesburg Paper Company's Green Bay operation. "I pride myself on getting better Jonathan Patton, a former Dallas Maverick, changed course into a career in flexographic printing. Fox Valley Technical College offers a one-year technical diploma and a two-year associate degree in the field. c o u r t e s y F V t c