Why Every Converter Should Be Talking to Their Local High School

Walk into nearly any print or packaging plant right now and ask the same question: “If your top three operators retired tomorrow, who’s ready to take their place?”

For too many companies, the answer is silence.

The skilled-labor gap in the printing and packaging industry isn’t coming, it’s already here. Across the country, converters are struggling to find press operators, die-cutters, and maintenance technicians who want to build careers in this trade.

The good news? The solution might be sitting just a few miles down the road--in your local high school.

1. The Next Generation Hasn’t Heard of You (Yet)

Most high school students have no idea what “converting” even means. They’ve never seen a flexo press or realized that nearly every product they buy (from cereal boxes to shampoo bottles) passes through a pressroom like yours.

It’s not that they’re uninterested. It’s that no one has ever told them.

This is where converters can make a real difference: by stepping outside the plant and showing students the world of modern manufacturing --clean facilities, advanced automation, career growth, and technology that rivals any industry.

2. Waiting for Trade Schools to Fix It Isn’t Enough

Trade programs are fantastic...where they exist. But in many regions, especially smaller cities, there’s little to no formal training focused on print or packaging.

That means the most effective way to build a pipeline is to create awareness early.

• Partner with high school counselors.

• Host plant tours.

• Offer job-shadow days or summer internships.

• Volunteer to speak in a technical education or business class.

You don’t need a full-blown apprenticeship to make an impact, just consistent visibility.

3. Real Careers Beat “Just Jobs”

Today’s students want more than a paycheck; they want purpose, stability, and growth. When they see that printing and packaging touches every brand, every product, every shelf, the light bulb goes on.

Highlight stories of your team members who started as helpers and grew into leads, supervisors, or even plant managers. Show them what advancement looks like and how your company invests in training.

This generation values mentorship; give them people to look up to.

4. Community Engagement Builds Your Brand

There’s a marketing advantage here, too. When you build relationships with local schools, you’re also building your employer brand. Parents, teachers, and students start seeing your company as a real opportunity, not just another factory down the road.

It boosts reputation, helps with local retention, and can even make hiring easier for support roles in HR, accounting, or logistics.

5. Start Small, But Start Now

You don’t need a big budget or a committee to begin. Here are a few easy wins:

✅ Offer to host a class tour once a semester.

✅ Sponsor a high school design or graphics competition.

✅ Invite students to job shadow for half a day.

✅ Partner with a teacher to build a “Print & Packaging Career Day.”

Every conversation helps close the gap between “I’ve never heard of that” and “That’s what I want to do.”

The Bottom Line

If the packaging industry wants the next generation to join, we have to go where they are. Your local high school is your next recruiting partner.

The future of flexo, converting, and print doesn’t depend on chance, it depends on connection.

So pick up the phone, send an email, or stop by a career counselor’s office this month. It starts with one conversation, and it could shape the next 40 years of your workforce.