During this year's European Label Forum, one of the hot topics will be how to attract young talent. During the panel on 'How to prepare your business for the next generation?', business owners Chris Ellison and Dana Kilarska, Managing Director of PKG Partners (recruitment) Chris Parnham, and professor Dr. Dirk Burth will talk about the key elements to implement in your business, to attract young talent.

Parnham has over 15 years of international recruitment experience, delivering recruitment assignments for a wide range of domestic and global customers across the print and packaging industries. 'Creating relationships within key educational channels (schools, colleges, and universities) will be key long-term, whilst also making recruitment a key part in any organisation's DNA.' Contact with schools, colleges, and universities is therefore of importance. 

According to Professor Dr. Burth, young talents look for a challenge. 'This means, that they like to work on a technically challenging field, that they like to work on challenging products and they are interested in a challenging job, in which they can give an impact. Therefore students should get an insight into the technology of label production so that it is obvious why such, on the first view simple product like a label, needs talents to make further progress.

To be attractive, the product label should get rid of the impression to be only a small, boring side product. Talents should be aware that in the field of labels they are in contact with a huge diversity of companies and industrial areas and there is close cooperation starting with marketing as well as with production and product development. Improvement and solving problems in this extensive environment require an overview of all materials, processes, and interactions on different steps along the production chain, which is everything but not tedious.

To be known by students helps to be attractive. Therefore close contact with universities would be useful. There are different options to get in contact like lectures and presentations, cooperation in projects, support of excursions to the companies, inviting students to write their thesis, or passing an internship in the company. If a company is located rurally and not in a big city, it is more difficult to be attractive. As pupils often like to stay close to the region they grew up in, it helps to find the talents directly after they finished the regional schools and by taking care of a qualification program. Universities offer dual student programs which focus on a combination of studying and practical qualifications in a company.

Find out what more key elements should be taken in to account during the panel discussion at this year's European Label Forum 2022.