The Canadian Printing Industries Sector Council (CPISC) held its second annual Forum on June 13th in Montreal, where its 2008 board was named, but the highlight of the event turned out to be a challenge to the printing industry issued by keynote speaker Warren Werbitt of Pazazz Printing in Montreal.

Werbitt is pushing printers to become more aggressive at promoting printing and encouraging students to pursue careers in the printing industry. "It's all part of taking pride in our industry," he says. His challenge is to every printing company in the land to contact the Canadian Printing Industries Association and invest in the next generation of graphic arts professionals.

With an annual contribution of only $1,250 (or more) to the Canadian Printing Industry Scholarship Trust Fund (CPISTF), a printing company can have its name attached to a scholarship and help a student that has already made the decision to enter an approved graphic arts program. Aside from financial assistance, the scholarships provide an added incentive for students to continue in their printing-related studies.

Administered by the Canadian Printing Industries Association (CPIA), last year the Scholarship Trust Fund doled out $72,500 in scholarships recognizing 55 students across the country (the money drawn from the interest on the Fund's principal held in trust). In order to increase the number of scholarships more private donations from the industry are required.

Don Gain, president of Harmony Printing in Toronto and Chairman of the Scholarship Trust Fund Board endorses Werbitt's challenge and also encourages printers to get involved and play a role in the industry's future.

For more information and to take up the challenge contact the CPIA at 1-800-267-7280 or belliott@cpia-aci.ca

The only change to the Sector Council's Board is the replacement of Michel Handfield president of CEP Local 145 with Stéphane Daigneault, recording secretary, CEP Local 145.

Returning Board members are: Duncan Brown, national director, CEP Graphical Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Ottawa; Jeff Ekstein, CEO and president, Willow Printing Group Ltd., Concord, ON; Andrea Chan, human resources, Webcom Inc., Toronto, ON; Alex Charles, president, CEP Local 525G, Vancouver; Mike Drimmie, president, CEP Local 591-G, Toronto; Bob Elliott, president, CPIA, Ottawa; Abe Giesbrecht, training coordinator, Friesens, Altona, MB; Robert Kadis, vice-president, finance and administration, Harmony Printing Ltd. Toronto; John Webster, president, CEP Local 900G, Winnipeg; Michel Cliche, general manager, Comité sectoriel de main-d'oeuvre des communications graphiques du Québec, Montréal; Brian Ellis, marketing director, Heidelberg Canada, Mississauga, ON; and Willem Sijpheer, Digital Graphics Communications, SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary.

The Canadian Printing Industries Sector Council, funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program, is a not-for-profit organization responsible for the human resources strategy for the printing industries in Canada.