Despite the rise of digital marketing, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the role of the print industry still remains an imported method of advertising and is considered by many as more credible, informative, and long lasting.
“While print may have diminished in value in the present digital era and the rise of digital marketing, printing is still seen as an important method of advertising, given how people still like and respect newspapers and magazines. Many people consider print advertisements to be credible, informative, and long lasting,” said Lopez at the virtual signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Utilization of DIGIFAB SSF between the Board of Investments, Philippine Trade Training Center and Philippine Center for Print Excellence Foundation (PCPEF).
Further, the DTI chief said that print is an important channel that increases reach and helps in spreading information. This is the reason, Lopez said that many companies still print comprehensive brochures and colorful flyers to advertise their products despite the dominance of the digital media.
Another consideration is that consumable goods and products need to be packed and compliant with labelling requirements. Whether food or non-food products, details of manufacturing, expiry, and batch number need to be printed in the packaging.
In addition, he stressed that product reputation is built through superior packaging material and flawless printing technology to complete the finished product.
“Thus, we need to recognize the critical role that the printing industry plays in the economy and that we need to continually invest in human capital development and strengthen industry-government linkages,” he pointed out.
He cited that the partnership among the BOI and PCPEF as well as the PTTC will support the upskilling and further development of the industry workforce. This, in turn, would deepen industrial capacities and help the industry cope with the current and emerging trends in the labor market.
Through the MOU, Lopez expressed hope to develop a more relevant, responsive, resilient, and sustainable talent pipeline for the printing industry.
In 2015, the PCPEF heeded the call of the BOI in formulating an industry roadmap to help the government chart their industry’s growth.
The Printing Industry Roadmap cited a number of goals: enhancing supply capability; increasing demand for print products and services; encouraging collaboration among the players of the printing industry and its allied industries; and providing a conducive business environment. Their Roadmap also pointed out the challenges—that there is a pervasive lack of formally-trained technical personnel with printing capabilities and expertise, particularly for machine operators and press mechanics.
Also the upskilling and reskilling of industry workforce is one of objectives of the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) 2021-2022. This strategy involves an eight-point agenda that will create a policy environment that will help in the following: encourage generation of more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities; and improve the employability and productivity of workers while providing support to existing and emerging businesses.
“This way, the country will be able to produce a more future-ready workforce that can thrive and stay relevant in the era of Industry 4.0. It will also aid in leveraging Filipino talents in order for the industry to benefit from the new opportunities created by Industry 4.0 and COVID-19 disruptions, as well as upgrade to high-value services to further drive the Philippine growth,” he said.
More importantly, he added, even as new employment opportunities are being created while other employment positions are displaced or replaced, it is high-time to pave the way for the development of a skilled, work-ready, and globally competitive workforce.
“As we build back better in the post-pandemic future, we hope to address the present and future talent requirements of the country’s emerging industries,” he added.