12 February - acadami and its Canadian sponsor, Xplor Canada, are pleased to announce that the first university students to attend an acadami education course have successfully passed the requirements for Document Production Fundamentals. All courses by acadami that are certified by Xplor International require attendees to pass a written examination as well as meet the attendance requirement in order to qualify for Xplor Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

On February 8 and 9, 2009, three Ryerson University students joined five industry professionals at acadami’s two-day Document Production Fundamentals course conducted at Ryerson University’s campus in the Toronto area. The students attended under an acadami scholarship as part of acadami’s commitment to reach into the academic community to prepare students for the world of transaction and variable data printing before they enter the workforce.

The course focuses on the concepts, technologies, and terminologies associated with automated transaction document production. The material within these courses trains both industry professionals and university students on the business aspects, design requirements, and technical issues “from Data to Doorstep”.

"The Document Production Continuing Education Program is being well-received throughout Canada” said Paul Abdool edp, president of Xplor Canada. “It is an important part of Xplor Canada's mission to support student education and employee training in the document industry."

“In a recent study commissioned by EDSF, the authors found that ‘(o)ver 73.1% of [study] respondents were unhappy with the skill sets that they have been seeing from the marketplace pool of potential employees’. acadami seeks to address this problem by offering not only first-class, vendor-neutral education to industry professionals, but by offering a program in which universities can give their students the benefits of real world experience before even entering the workplace,” said William J. ‘Bill’ McCalpin, acadami’s Registrar. “We at acadami are delighted to be able to offer a scholarship program that addresses this critical industry problem as part of our regular educational courses.”

About acadami
The acadami collaboration involves three industry veterans: William Broddy edp, William J. ‘Bill’ McCalpin edp, and Michael Turton edp. Together, these industry experts present vendor-neutral, professional education on the entire range of the electronic document experience and practice.

About the Electronic Document Profession 
Electronic Document Professional (EDP) is one of the most highly regarded certifications in the document industry. Candidates must have five years of active involvement in document production and submit case studies for peer-review to establish their experience and expertise. More than 500 industry professionals have earned this designation over the last 19 years.

About Xplor
Xplor International, also known as The Electronic Document Systems Association®, is a worldwide association of users and suppliers of the products and services that create, modify, and deliver customized information using a variety of document technologies. Incorporated in 1981 as a not-for-profit association, it is worldwide with 10 regions and 18 chapters that are directed, organized, and governed by its members. Xplor is the community of choice for education, information sharing, and networking that meets the needs of our members and provides leadership to the evolution of the document systems industry.

About Ryerson University
Ryerson University was founded in 1948 as Ryerson Institute of Technology. Established primarily as a training ground for the growing workforce of a booming post-war economy, the Institute was a novel alternative to the traditional apprenticeship system of technical learning.

Today, Ryerson University offers both professionally targeted programs---an area in which it leads among Canadian Universities and contemporary arts and science degrees.

The Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) offers highly sought-after programs in media, design, and fine arts. The School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) is one of eight schools within the Faculty of Communication and Design. The program provides a comprehensive theoretical grounding in print media technologies and valuable business skills. Graduates of the program are highly skilled professionals who enter the business world fully prepared to adapt and respond to the multifaceted field of the print media industries.

Ryerson University was awarded the annual Innovation in Higher Education Award from EDSF in 2003 for being the only university in Canada that offers a degree program that specializes in printing management.