How do I pass my print shop’s pressman know-how to a younger employee?
Pair the younger employee with the pressman on live jobs, let them take over the setup step by step, and write down the tricks as they come up. Skill like this passes through hands-on repetition, so start well before the pressman leaves.
A good pressman knows by sight when the ink is off, by sound when a roller is failing, and by touch when paper has absorbed too much moisture. None of that sits in a manual. The only way to pass it on is to work together on real runs.
Begin with the younger employee watching setups and make-ready, then doing the simple steps while the pressman supervises. Let them make mistakes on small jobs, not rush orders. Ask the pressman to say what he is checking and why, and have the learner write it in a notebook or record a short video of each step.
Cover the unglamorous routines too: cleaning, calibration, which paper stocks misbehave, which customers are fussy about colour. Build a list of problems and their usual fixes. Think about retention as well. Someone who has invested effort in learning a trade will want a sign of a future, so talk with them about their role. If the pressman is leaving, arrange for him to stay on part-time for a while so the learning is not cut short. Give the learner real responsibility early, even in small ways. People remember what they were trusted to do, and trust shown now makes it easier for the shop to hold on to them later.
Key takeaways
- Train on live jobs, starting with setup and make-ready.
- Capture the pressman’s checks and fixes in notes or short videos.
- Talk with the learner about their future in the shop.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to reduce employee turnover
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAdvice for succession planning - Articles and tools
- 04Canadian Federation of Independent BusinessResearch dataSuccession Tsunami: Preparing for a decade of small business transitions
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