About ICPF
During the past decade, ICPF has donated or placed over $12.5 million in corrugated equipment (CAD systems, sample tables, testing systems, presses, rotary die cutters, stackers, dryers and related equipment) and other resources to advance college and university curricula to better prepare those students planning to enter the corrugated industry. (The shelf value of the additional donations of design and related software far exceed this $12.5 million figure.)
The Career Portal portion of ICPF's website additionally provides a listing of available internships and entry level positions in the industry to which students and recent graduates can directly apply online. Since the free Career Portal is regularly visited by industry recruiters, upcoming and recent graduates are encouraged to post their resumes there as well. Not only has the portal been a successful tool for students to acquire internships and new graduates to secure careers, it is a successful resource for firms in the industry. Over the past several years, almost 90% of the openings posted there have been filled by a combination of direct application through the career portal, use of its resume bank and ICPF's Corrugated Packaging & Displays Career LinkedIn Network.
ICPF's online corrugated curricula is available free through its website for packaging, graphic design, flexography, business and related faculty and their students. It also serves as a resource for ICPF corporate partners in their work with new employees, community colleges and technical schools. The corrugated curricula provides a comprehensive overview of corrugated manufacturing, from a brief history to details on production, design, performance specifications, testing processes, and corrugated packaging's role as a cost-effective, high-performance, renewable, recyclable and sustainable packaging choice.
ICPF has distributed thousands of its Careers in Corrugated DVD to colleges, universities, high schools and corporate partners. The DVD presented information and video clips on the industry and its many different careers for new graduates. These video clips are available under the Careers in Corrugated section of the website, making this information accessible to a broader spectrum of students.
Over the past 30 years, ICPF has conducted numerous other educational initiatives, programs, and competitions to advance student and faculty knowledge of the corrugated packaging industry, and the exciting career opportunities this $30.8 billion-a-year industry offers. Several of these include a National Logo Design Competition for graphic design students, the annual International Careers in Corrugated Teleconferences for colleges and universities across North America, dozens of student /executive dialogue dinners, six national Chair Affair design competitions with winning entries displayed in the National Building Museum in Washington D. C. where Vern Yip of Design Star and Trading Spaces fame served as ICPF's Honorary Chair; and ICPFs annual, live, Best of the Best student design presentation competition where student teams are challenged to "show, tell, and sell" their corrugated designs to fellow students during ICPF's annual teleconferences. More information on these and other programs are provided on this website.
ICPF is an independent, non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation. The Internal Revenue Service has approved ICPF as an philanthropic, educational foundation that may accept tax-deductible contributions from companies, individuals, and other organizations. ICPF is largely supported by individual corrugated manufacturers and supply companies, and is co-sponsored by AICC - The Independent Packaging Association (based in the Washington D.C. area) and the Fibre Box Association (based in the Chicago area).