September 13, 2018
AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, began offering free online education to member companies through a partnership with The Packaging School in April 2017. As of this writing, employees of member companies have completed 1,000 courses. These courses represent 455 better-trained employees, $100,000 saved in training costs, and more than seven months of cumulative training time.
“I am excited to see 1,000 online courses completed!” says Jana Harris, president and CEO of Harris Packaging and American Carton Co., and AICC Education Committee chair. “This speaks to the fact that training and education are a definite need within our individual companies. AICC has always had the reputation in our industry as being strong in education, but by offering free online courses, this validates the commitment that AICC has for bringing value to its members.”
Nearly 50 courses are currently online, with six more expected to be released this year. There are courses available for every department.
Brian Strauss, human resource specialist at Michigan City Paper Box, says, “Whether it’s requiring a new hire to watch—and pass—the Safety Basics course or asking management and office staff to enhance their skills by taking courses on topics from leadership and production to finance and sales, Michigan City Paper Box Co. uses AICC Packaging School as a fundamental piece of our training.”
To help AICC members make the most of the courses available, AICC and The Packaging School have created development tracks (www.aiccbox.org/tracks) for production and The Certificate of Packaging Science, with a track for onboarding and a revamped sales track coming soon. Blake Ward, sales representative at The Lawrence Paper Company, Eric Ockerlund, production manager at OxBox, and Thomas Rybicki, sales representative at American Containers, have all completed one of the tracks.
Of his experience, Ockerlund says, “These courses are great for those new to the packaging industry who really want to get their foot in the door and jump-start their career. The courses contain loads of information, yet they are not at all overwhelming. I really like how the courses provide the student with not only basic knowledge of the different parts of the packaging industry, but an in-depth look into the various operations and machines used. These courses also provide a great understanding of the vocabulary used in the industry. All in all, these courses are a fantastic way to gain years’ worth of knowledge in just a few weeks.”
Several of the newest and upcoming courses are made possible through the support of AICC Education Investors: Fosber, BCM Inks, Sun Automation Group, Pamarco, JB Machinery, Printron, Absolute, Kruger, EFI, HP, and Bobst. These members offer their time and expertise, along with a financial commitment to create online courses with AICC and The Packaging School.
Jeff Pallini, president at Fosber, an AICC Education Investor, says, “Congratulations to AICC members and their 1,000 completed online courses. Fosber is very excited to be part of this exceptional program. Education and training in our industry are critical for success, and AICC is leading the way.”
AICC, with the support of sponsors EAM-Mosca of Mexico; Cartró, S.A.P.I. de C.V.; Cajas de Cartón Sultana, S.A. de C.V.; and Michigan City Paper Box, has also begun the process of translating the online courses into Spanish. Corrugated 101, 102, and 103 are currently available in English, with plans for them to be translated into Spanish prior to AICC/TAPPI Corrugated Week, September 24–27 in Indianapolis. Safety Basics will be available in Spanish shortly thereafter.
Harris also urges all members to take advantage of this resource: “If you have not gone online yet to see what all is available, I encourage you to do so. There is a variety of categories, offering courses for everyone within your organization.”
Learn more about online education at www.aiccbox.org/packagingschool.
