Print Media Technologies: What Students Can Expect – Interview with Volker Jansen and Gunter Hübner
In part two of our interview with Professors Volker Jansen and Gunter Hübner the two industry experts speak about the contents of the Print Media Technologies course at Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart and what kind of careers graduates can forward to.
Header picture: © Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart
As the world’s leading trade fair for printing technology, promoting talent in the printing industry is obviously very important to drupa. That’s why we support not only companies, but also universities in the media industry in their search for young talent.
Recently you had the chance to read the first part of our interview with Volker Jansen and Gunter Hübner, two PMT professors at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart. The first part was dedicated to the question of who might be interested in the Print Media Technologies course.
Part two is all about the course itself and its contents.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gunter Hübner (left) & Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Volker Jansen (right)
drupa: Why did you decide to internationalise the course?
Hübner: As international competition increases and production sites are increasingly relocated to growth regions, the demands placed on the future careers of young people working in the media industry are on the rise. In addition, there are shifts in the competitive constellation of large globally operating corporations, which are caused by acquisitions and mergers, which in turn lead to the formulation of more complex application technology, market and business management-oriented tasks. The long-term tasks for the printing and media industry are primarily based on the need to be able to meet changing production, market and product requirements.
Jansen: These include, for instance, the internationalisation of business activities by acquiring or founding companies abroad, technical and business consolidation into globally operating units, technical innovations, especially in the areas of 3D printing, substrates, digital printing and finishing technologies. Flexibility in selected production technologies and the integration of logistics services are just as important factors here as, for example, the Internet of Things and the accompanying more flexible IT and workflow solutions, including cloud applications. External factors, such as demographic trends in Europe and all over the world, must be taken into account in all sustainability matters and human resource management as part of international corporate planning.
drupa: How adaptable are you to changes in the industry when it comes to study content?
Jansen: The English-language Print Media Technologies course offers the perspective of combining technical, business, linguistic and social, intercultural skills. The teaching of technical education on current topics, which is of particular interest to the traditional printing industry, plays a subordinate role. The main focus of the course is on communication concepts and production technologies of the future.
Hübner: The course contents are divided into applications, such as packaging printing, additive manufacturing, industrial printing, commercial printing, etc., which will still be important in 2050. This means that technologically relevant content can be updated accordingly. The educational offer is primarily oriented towards future technological problems.
The international character of the course is based on the teaching of intercultural communication skills, engineering knowledge and the development of skills for change through innovation in different technology areas of the printing and media industry.
drupa: Which contents surprise Print Media Technology students who have just started the most?
Jansen: Students are particularly interested in variable data printing and 3D printing technologies. The non-technological areas of intercultural problem solving and language offerings form a highly interesting mix. Spanish in particular is very popular.
drupa: What role does practical application play in the Print Media Technologies course?
Hübner: The course has a technological centre at its disposal that is equipped with the latest production machinery and research facilities. Above all, the course enjoys active support from the industry. The Technology Center includes technology areas of packaging and industrial printing, it includes a 3D factory, a post press center and a facility with digital presses, the corresponding workflows, pre-media facilities, etc. All technologies are available to students for projects, labs, internships and research-related topics. In the fifth semester, students complete a technological industry internship. There they learn to apply what they have learnt in theory.
drupa: How diverse are the future tasks of your graduates and what companies do they work for now?
Jansen: The fields of activity of the graduates are very broad. From managers in a classic print shop to project staff in the areas of innovation, marketing, campaigns and workflows to developers in research institutes in industrial printing or printed electronics.
Hübner: The PMT course just started 2018. Thus, at present there are no PMT-alumni. However, recently graduates from the previous German-language Print and Media Technology course have joined companies such as HP, Koenig und Bauer, Daimler, Porsche, Springer Group, Bertelsmann, BASF, Tetra Pak, Bosch, Kodak, Canon, Fuji, Konica-Minolta, Henkel, Ferrero, Storck, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L’Oréal, Klett-Gruppe, Hugo Boss and many, many more.
Have the two Professors sparked your interest in the PMT course or have you already applied for a comparable course? Tell us in the comments!
