Consumers drive the global economy forward and good packaging lies behind every purchase. While the importance of our industry can’t be overstated, an ageing workforce along with continually advancing technology has led to an ever-widening skills gap. To bridge this gap and help prepare tomorrow’s packaging experts, Esko is extending its multi-million-dollar donation of software licenses to an exclusive group of leading educational institutions across the US.

An explosion of technology advances is changing the packaging and labels sectors. Now is the time to attract and support college and university students in packaging engineering and technology programs. By creating partnerships with these elite colleges and universities, Esko is putting its market leading structural design and production software platforms right where they can make the biggest impact.

Among the more-than-30 schools utilizing Esko software to train the next generation of packaging employees are Clemson University, Cal Polytech State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Ryerson University, University of Texas, Virginia Tech, Michigan State University and Indiana State University.

Through this partnership, packaging program students can use the same software that develops 9 out of 10 retail packages for major brands today. The breadth of software available helps them learn a wide range of skill sets. Students will be able to design and create packaging systems from ideation through to virtual and physical prototypes, preparing them for future roles in the diverse and fast-paced packaging industry.

“The global pandemic has underlined the important role technology already plays in keeping the packaging supply chain moving,” said Melissa Plemen, Esko Sr. Director of Inside Sales and Marketing. “As the future of the industry will inevitably involve further digitization, automation and connectivity, it is crucial that the workforce of tomorrow is as skilled and knowledgeable as possible before they embark on their career. We see this donation as part of our contribution to ensuring that vision becomes a reality, investing in not just the future of these young students, but also of our industry as a whole.”