The FESPA community comprises of 37 global Associations, which support the speciality print and signage industries. We’re shining a light on two Associations – PSSiDC and SZSDT – their activity, and how they supported FESPA’s recent ‘Youth Engagement Initiative’ at FESPA Global Print Expo 2025…

FESPA is celebrating the launch of its new ‘Association Highlights’ series, which showcases the initiatives and events hosted by each FESPA Association and shines a spotlight on how they are supporting their print communities in their respective countries.

As part of FESPA’s global ‘Youth Engagement Initiative’, its Associations invited the next generation of printers to FESPA Global Print Expo at the Messe Berlin, Germany, to explore career opportunities in the sector.

As part of FESPA’s Youth Engagement Initiative, the Polish Association of Screen Printing and Digital Printing (PSSiDC) and the Slovakian Association, the Slovak Screen and Digital Printing Association (SZSDT) organised a trip for more than 50 young people to attend the final day of FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 to see the latest printing technologies in-person, as well as attending the new SmartHub Conference. Some students also had the chance to attend the 2025 FESPA Awards.

Jacek Stencel, President of PSSiDC, added: “We regularly facilitate visits to print companies and support internships for young talent. In 2025, we coordinated an educational journey for more than 50 students, teachers and lecturers to visit FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin. It’s a joy to see the students light up when they operate real-world print machines and meet professionals.”

Karin Danielčíková, a second year graphic design student at the School of Applied Arts Trenčín, commented: “Attending FESPA in Berlin was an exceptional experience for me. The event gave me an overview of the latest trends and innovations in the printing field. I highly appreciated this event, the professional communication and the opportunity to connect with technologists and experts from all over the world. I gained a valuable overview of reliable suppliers and technologies.“

Ema Horníková, a third year digital painting student at the School of Applied Arts Trenčín, highlighted: “FESPA 2025 was a great experience for us and we are glad that we were able to participate. The event offered a lot of inspiration, news and innovative solutions that helped us to gain a better overview of where the printing industry is moving.

“We thoroughly enjoyed the live demonstrations of printing technologies and the opportunity to talk to experts from all over the world. It was great to see so many diverse exhibitors in one place and at the same time, and exchange experiences with other people from the industry.”

PSSiDC has been a member of FESPA since 1997. In cooperation with FESPA, it organises exhibitions, conventions and fairs, which allow its community to learn about new materials, technologies and machines for screen printing and digital printing, as well as trends in the Polish and international print markets.

SZSDT, also inspires the next generation of printers by offering training sessions – led by screen printing experts – to support knowledge-sharing. It also organises courses, requalification and technical examinations for its printing community. Throughout the year, SZSDT has hosted a series of serigraphy and digital workshops for students, as well as a competition for digitally-printed T-shirts.

Alongside their efforts to engage students and young people within the industry, PSSiDC and SZSDT are keeping their local printing communities up-to-date on sustainability. For example, this year, PSSiDC is hosting a webinar on the topic for its members, while SZSDT is organising a sustainability working group, a footprint calculator and is circulating FESPA’s latest sustainability guides.

This ‘Association Highlights’ was the first in our new series and we look forward to continuing to celebrate the hard work of our members in the coming months…