Education Paths to Position Women in Packaging & Processing Roles
Julie C. Hoover, CFPPS
Global Account Manager
SMC Corporation of America
Considering a career in packaging and processing? I didn’t think so. But should you? Very possibly, YES! It’s a 10-billion-dollar industry. If you think about it, people will likely always drink, eat, shower, take aspirin and connect electronically.
Exploring paths to position yourself as a viable resource to this industry is possible. Four types of education offerings for packaging are: public universities, trade/company specific seminars, professional organizations and online/digital.
Here are some specifics:
- Public universities: www.packworld.com/schools
- 22 total programs in the U.S.
- 5 “complete” programs
- Often “niche” only
- Not always conducive to working professionals
- Trade/company specific seminars
- Specific topics
- Good for networking
- Learn, retain, apply can be a challenge due to info overload
- Professional organizations: www.packworld.com/packaging-associations
- Often material or market-specific
- PMMI U – machinery topics like risk assessment & mechatronics
- IOPP – Certified Packaging Professional membership requires six years of experience in packaging
- Online / Digital
- The Packaging School: www.packagingschool.com
- Small, bite-sized chunks of info (“micro-earning”)
- Videos, infographics, quick reads, animation, discussions, interactive slides
Finally, tradeshows are another way to gain education: www.packworld.com/events.
In 1990, I graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. It was a 5:1 ratio of men to women.…I was invited to a lot of frat parties. The GT freshman class a few years ago was 50/50 men and women. I think this means more high-profile female leaders are visible as public role models. Diversity is a good thing. Go forth and learn!
