Kall Kwik aims to print by degrees

A HIGH street printing chain is following Ford and British Aerospace by jumping on the "corporate university" bandwagon.

Kall Kwik, the quick print and copy franchise group, will advertise next month in The THES for a "people development person" from academe to head its own university.

Moshe Gerstenhaber, Kall Kwik chairman, said he wanted "an academic, not an administrator" for the Pounds 50,000 post.

"We can pay more than a university can, we can treat them better than a university can, and they will not have the frustrations of working in the troubled university environment," he said.

"Too many academics may think such a role is beneath them," he said. "But it is snobbery. I look at what is happening to universities and I can see that there is not enough money.

"They can't be complacent any more. Learning for life must be done in partnership with business. It is essential to ensure that high-level learning opportunities remain in place."

Mr Gerstenhaber admitted plans were still nebulous, but he expected Middlesex University to be involved.

Middlesex Business School dean David Kirby is on the board of the business/education Kall Kwik Foundation, while Mr Gerstenhaber has advised the school on its new franchising course.

Mr Gerstenhaber has few firm ideas, beyond a "love for the beauty of self-improvement". "We might put together programmes provided by universities over the Internet," he said.

"People could pick up points over time and eventually gain a qualification. We might invent our own certificate. Not everyone will be looking for a degree at first - maybe we'll start with NVQs. Who knows?" Kall Kwik has 200 franchise holders running high street print shops throughout Britain, with 1,500 employees.

"We already provide in-house management training and vocational training for our franchise holders and their staff, " said Mr Gerstenhaber. "But this is no longer enough."