Regional Printing Institute is planning week of celebration

January 13, 2003

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Regional Printing Institute has planned several activities for the 59th annual International Printing Week, which begins Monday.

International Printing Week is a nationally celebration to recognize the impact of the printing industry. In the Quad-State region, which includes the counties surrounding the I-81 corridor in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, events planned include several open houses/plant tours and activities in local schools.

The Regional Printing Institute was created in 1998 to support the printing industry in the Quad-State region. One of its ongoing goals is supporting the printing industry in several ways, including providing customized training for regional employers.

Training can occur on site at the company facility or at James Rumsey Technical Institute in Hedgesville, W.Va. The institute conducts training programs on such topics as printing technology, press technology, pre-press ad printing administration.

The institute is working on three additional activities to complement its goals.

The institute has created "Intro to Print," a program for high school seniors to learn about the graphic communications industry with classroom training and plant tours throughout a school semester. It is to begin this month.

The institute is planning an Industry Awards Banquet in April to highlight local printers large and small and the accomplishments of their employees.

Another activity the institute has organized is the "Print Academy," which is a training program for national customer service certification, with the ultimate goal of acquiring the designation Certified Printing Service Specialist. This training begins in February and concludes in May.

As an educational partner, the Regional Printing Institute is seeking sponsors for its 2003 activities. Anyone interested in being a sponsor of any of these activities may contact the institute.

For more information, e-mail printdirector@rpionline.net or call 1-877-208-5171. Information about online learning opportunities is available at the institute Web site, www.rpionline.net.

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