A packaging development officer at Simplot Australia has become the first person in Australasia to attain the Certified Packaging Professional in Training (CPIT) designation.
The CPIT is offered exclusively through the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).
Sigrid Tusek is the newest and youngest member of the Simplot packaging team (which recently made news when they all qualified with the CPP designation) and the CPIT designation was an ideal match to her level of packaging knowledge, according to the AIP.
The CPIT designation is a registered trademark of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), and is now internationally recognised by both IoPP and AIP.
Tusek has been in the packaging industry for just over a year; six months with Caps and Closures working in injection moulding, and the last six months with Simplot as a packaging development officer.
"I previously worked as a design engineer with the Bayly Group, and completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Product Design Engineering) with the Swinburne University of Technology," she said.
"I've noticed many similarities between product design and packaging, with an overlap of materials and manufacturing.
"Embarking on a career in packaging highlighted that it is like learning a completely new language, so I wanted to be fully immersed, and the CPIT designation has allowed this opportunity and knowledge.
"The packaging team at Simplot have also been a huge influence as they are an inspiring group of packaging professionals, supporting and encouraged me to undertake this goal."
The CPIT designation is designed to help someone who is either new to the industry or looking to gain non-technical packaging knowledge.
"Being new to the industry, the multifaceted world of packaging was quite overwhelming," Tusek said.
"Working towards the CPIT designation offered a framework for learning, provided valuable insights and further developed my knowledge about that world.
"The CPP designation recognises professionals who are both academically qualified and have extensive industry experience.
"It inspires new people to be committed to the industry, to build their knowledge, and to contribute.
"Being an internationally recognised qualification, the CPIT designation provides a great professional goal."
To find out more about the CPIT® program, costs, and eligibility, email here or click here.
