Avivo joins new collaborative to recruit and train workers for printing industry

Avivo is entering a new partnership in 2019, creating curriculum and training resources for potential employees of the printing industry.

A grant from the City of Minneapolis was awarded to a new Minnesota collaborative which includes Printing Industry Midwest, Avivo, Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota (GESMN), and employer partners. The collaborative will address the workforce shortage in the printing industry, by allowing employer partners to recruit new employees with up-to-date, required skills needed.

According to Kris Davis, director of education for Printing Industry Midwest (PIM), a not-for-profit trade organization representing the Midwest’s leading print service providers, it has been 10 years since higher education closed its doors on training for the printing industry. “We don’t have access to high schools and student graduates so we need to find ways to recruit workers for print industry careers,” shares Davis.

“This really is a workforce solution … Printers have had so much trouble for so long finding entry-level workers. This is exciting to Minnesota employers – tapping into a recruitment resources they would never have had the opportunity to access.”

The new funding pairs PIM’s connections to local employer members with Avivo and GESMN’s training and employment services expertise, as a workforce development solution.

Avivo will provide assessments, employer-informed industry training, as well as soft-skills and work-readiness training. GESMN’s career navigators will follow students on their training and employment journeys, providing the necessary supports to succeed and enter employment. Both organizations provide strong resources from which to recruit a diverse group of participants –from Avivo treatment programs and both organizations’ employment services, with more than 65% being people of color. Avivo and Goodwill serve nearly 3,500 individuals combined.

“This really is a workforce solution,” adds Davis. “Printers have had so much trouble for so long finding entry-level workers. This is exciting to Minnesota employers – tapping into a recruitment resources they would never have had the opportunity to access.”

This new initiative will be enrolling participants the first week of July at Avivo’s Institute of Career & Technical Education. This will be just in time to graduate students for hiring and placement in entry-level positions, July through November.

The collaborative is made possible thanks to a Minneapolis Pathways Fund grant through the City of Minneapolis.