Agfa has joined forces with the Digital Academy to offer training for Agfa customers in digital pre-press.


The Agfa Academy will initially provide courses on scanning and colour management at the Digital Academys Wokingham site.


"The feedback we were getting from our customers suggested there was a gap in training," said Joe Besso, Agfas professional support development manager.


The firm was finding that customers installing digital pre-press needed staff training to make the most of their investment.


Although Agfa was providing post-installation training on-site it felt it could help customers make a quicker return on investment by providing training prior to installation.


Agfa has initially provided eight f40 flatbed scanners with FotoLook and ColorTune software for the courses, which run every Wednesday.


The scanners, which have been installed in the Digital Academys Mac suite, are also available for other Digital Academy courses.


"Its a great opportunity especially for Agfa customers to have access to regular training," said Digital Academy director Ray Fuell. "While weve always offered bespoke courses, this allows us to be more flexible and more people can get hands-on training on this sort of kit."


If the initial courses are a success it is hoped the range of topics will be expanded to cover the complete pre-press workflow and to "fill the void between pre-press and press". It is hoped that the courses will be recognised as an NVQ "so people see it as a recommended qualification".


"We are looking to expand it in the future," said Besso. "Wed love it to flourish as a business in its own right."


Story by Barney Cox