EDUCATING THE EDUCATORS

As learning returns to something akin to normal for schools and universities, there are plenty of opportunities for dealers – but they need to advise customers on the best products for their needs

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he past two years have been like no other for the education sector, with remote and home learning used as never before - but now most learning is back in the classroom, and there is a focus on helping learners – especially schoolchildren – to catch up on the ground they may have lost during the pandemic.

While technology can play a part in this, more traditional products - such as paper and stationery - are still important to engage children and help them to learn. Of growing importance too are sustainable solutions, as Lawrence Savage, marketing manager at ExaClair, explains. “With over £1.5 billion of UK government spending recently pledged to both upgrading current buildings and the construction of new schools to meet the growing student population, there is a growing shift towards creating green schools that incorporate sustainable products and initiatives,” he says.

“The government is, reportedly, allocating an extra £4.7 billion for schools in England by 2024-25. The current increase in ecologically-aware product sales, driven by the trend for greener schools, continues, and there is also a comprehensive demand for effective PPE, social distancing signage and sanitation solutions throughout the educational sector. In addition, the global school stationery supplies market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% between 2021-2026.”

The pandemic led to an expansion in remote learning so other growing areas of the market are cloud-based software and cyber security solutions, as well as products that can facilitate asynchronous learning, says Lawrence. “This has influenced greater demand for items such as headphones, webcams, USB multiport adaptors and power packs; as a result, the need for suitable, adaptable storage and organisational products has also grown.”

This means dealers need to work closely with their educational sector customers to understand their needs, in order to advise them effectively to match the best solutions to their individual budgets. “In the long-term this will enable dealers to build lasting relationships and create wider customer loyalty,” says Lawrence.

HYBRID WORKING IN UNIVERSITIES

The need for dealers to understand their customers’ needs is especially acute in the universities and further education establishment sectors - for instance, the University of Cambridge has adopted hybrid printing for its 20,000 students and 11,000 staff across 31 colleges and 150 departments. The University’s decision to offer hybrid print was driven by not just the number of devices and end-users, but also by COVID-19 lockdowns, which caused students and staff to shuttle between working remotely and on-site learning.

The University of Cambridge’s printing environment supports 27 colleges and even though they are members of the university, each college manages its own IT infrastructure, including their networking; compounding this complexity was Google Cloud Print’s deprecation. As Kelvin Morgan, computer officer, and Dean Feltham, print technician, explain, they needed a robust BYOD print enablement tool to support their colleges’ independent network infrastructures, while also continuing to support their students via their centralised printing subscription service.

Kelvin and Dean decided on PaperCut MF to underpin their centralised service. PaperCut offers participation via subscription which means they can manage print, photocopying and scanning for their entire student body.

TRADITIONAL DEMAND

Although technology has provided some great solutions, demand for more traditional products, such as paper, has been maintained, as Paul Savill from Antalis explains. “Paper and printing technologies have, understandably, always been closely linked; as copiers and printers have developed, paper has had to keep pace to ensure that performance, runability and the final printed product all meet the users’ expectation,” he says.

“In a school, or other educational establishment, there can be a plethora of printing jobs to perform on devices ranging from the humble desktop inkjet in the classroom, through to the graphic arts quality digital printer in the central office or reprographic department. Matching the wrong paper to the wrong application can result in either poor quality prints or, at the other end of the scale, a print that has been produced on a paper whose quality far exceeds the requirement - resulting in costly reprints or overspending on the wrong product. “School budgets are, as we know, are sometimes stretched to the limit but often, when it comes to paper, a one-size-fits-all approach can be the order of the day; the C grade copier that is used to create classroom notes, or print a task for students, is often the same product used to print colour documents and important external communications – often leading to a poor end result.

“The key is to match the application to the correct printing technology and, more importantly, to demonstrate this to the end-user. They need to understand the advances in surface treatments for inkjet printing and the wide selection of papers available tailored to meet the needs of specific tasks and applications.”

Paul adds that the challenge and opportunity for the reseller is to move from paper seller to paper consultant. “This will, undoubtedly, pay dividends as they demonstrate a higher level of expertise to their customers,” he says.