NJPEC Get to know – The Packaging School
NJPEC’s secretary Christin Cupo, recently spoke with Caroline Murphy, one of the Business Development Representatives for the school, to learn how she became involved and what she enjoys about her role.
The Packaging School was founded in 2015 as the exclusive licensee of a packaging curriculum developed at Clemson University. The focus of the program is to bridge the gap between education and industry by partnering with companies, packaging experts and associations to create a shared learning experience. The school offers courses and programs in consumer, automotive, food and beverage packaging, and is a licensed secondary education school.
CC: What would you like our members to know about the Packaging School?
CM: The Packaging School is focused on helping professionals become the go-to packaging experts within their respective businesses. We help people understand how to save costs, reduce damage, and design sustainably. We create engaging content, and strive to bring the packaging community together through educational events like AutoPack Summit. The school also offers more than 10 hours of free educational content at PackagingSchool.com, which includes the “LuxePack Executive Collection.”
CC: When did you become interested in the Beauty Packaging Industry?
CM: When I was little I remember playing with my mom’s cosmetic boxes. I was particularly drawn to the items that were packaged in colorful, sparkly, bow tied boxes. My mom did not always appreciate me opening them. Since then my love for packaging has only grown. I now understand the importance of practical packaging for cosmetic products, especially when it comes to promoting and branding.
CC: What led you to the Packaging School and what best prepared you for your current role?
CM: After interviewing with multiple companies, nothing compared to the Packaging School. The sense of team unity made me feel right at home, and since my position is newly created, I get to provide input and insights firsthand to develop the role. My main focus is on the Automotive Packaging Industry. My education in sales prepared me to be self-motivated and disciplined in this fully remote position. Did you know there are sometimes seven different packages for a single automotive part?!
CC: What do you think are the most important aspects of packaging to focus on in today’s world?
CM: As in so many industries, it comes down to communication. If you have anything to do with the buying, selling, or movement of packages – you need to be able to speak the language of packaging and communicate properly not only with your peers and customers, but across your entire supply chain.
Packaging is the constant, literally the common denominator across the supply chain. Knowing how to reduce cost, damage, and design sustainably should be the focus of all actions. It’s the same for all industries – consumer, industrial, automotive and distribution to name a few.
CC: Can you tell us a bit about the resources available to the Packaging School to keep updated and current on new materials, technologies and regulations?
CM: PackagingSchool.com partners with companies that specialize in different sectors, materials, processing, filling lines, etc. We take education to another level- we visit the production line, interview people in the labs, and work with leading companies and knowledge experts to disseminate their ideas, best practices and knowledge to the world through the Packaging School.
CC: Do you have any advice for current students?
CM: Utilize all the resources that are available to you. Get involved right away, and make it a point to speak to your professors and get to know them. Make learning a team environment.
Ask lots of questions, there really is no such thing as a bad question. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to the team – email us at Info@PackagingSchool.com. We love our students, and alumni community and can support you not only by finding answers to your packaging questions, but also by connecting you with the right people in the industry.
Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to the team – email us at Info@PackagingSchool.com. We love our students, and alumni community and can support you not only by finding answers to your packaging questions, but also by connecting you with the right people in the industry.
Consider that your future likely involves packaging at some level. As you look to develop a competitive edge for interviews and entry-level positions, consider our Certificate of Packaging Science. Not only will you stand out with a packaging credential, but you’ll develop real experience that will resonate with nearly every corporate stakeholder, because everyone in the industry has their own “packaging story” to share.