FTS Offers Flexo Scholarships To Veterans

Phillip Crump has always had an affinity for working with machines. It is what led him to join the military during his senior year of high school, serving with an engineering battalion, and it is what drove him just recently to the doors of the Flexographic Trade Services (FTS) school in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Specialist Crump is the first recipient of the new Harper Army National Guard Scholarship fund, which aids military veterans and their spouses in receiving training to assist in gaining entry into the flexographic industry.

At a ceremony on April 9th, Crump was presented with a fully paid, three-month scholarship by Art Fields, FTS President, with scholarship benefactors Ron and Katherine Harper in attendance. So, too, was Major Corol Dobson of the South Carolina National Guard, who was presented with a certificate of appreciation.

"We are soon to celebrate our tenth anniversary in business, and I could not have thought of a better way of doing so than being able to help our returning veterans gain employment in an entirely new career," said Fields. "This could not have been possible without the support of our member companies, vendor sponsors, but most importantly Ron and Katherine Harper who with their generosity helped FTS establish our first Harper Scholarship Fund, and now the launch of the Harper Army National Guard Scholarship fund."

Crump, serving with the 178 Engineering Battalion, expects to be deployed to Afghanistan in December of 2010 or early 2011. He will serve as engineering support, entering military hot zones to repair damaged tanks.

Crump admits to never having given the printing process much thought before a recommendation from his mother brought FTS to his attention. Now he greatly looks forward to a career as a press operator when he returns from overseas. Crump provides further evidence that the largest hurdle the flexo industry has in recruiting new talent is sometimes just a matter of elevating its perception and making people aware of the opportunities it has to offer.

Fields said he felt compelled to introduce the scholarship after becoming aware of the woeful employment statistics for returning vets, which at the moment stands at 28 percent.

For a veteran to be considered for the program, they must have received an honorable discharge, have the recommendation of their battalion and achieve a pass rate of 92 percent on a mechanical aptitude test.

FTS is offering two scholarship training courses, a 12-week press operator program and a 16-week digital pre-press program with scholarships donated by the flexo industry.

FTS hopes to raise enough scholarships funds to provide for a minimum of 100 scholarships in 2010. The school offers a number of sponsorship levels and encourages anyone interested in becoming a sponsor to contact them at www.flexotradeservices.com.