The vital importance of apprentices to the future health and prosperity of the printing industry in Scotland has been recognised right across the sector in the eighth annual Scottish Print Apprentice of the Year awards.
Four outstanding young apprentices received the approbation of their peers at the event earlier this month (June 16) organised by Print Scotland, the trade association and voice of Scotland’s graphic communication industry.
As well as representing Scottish print community and raising the profile of future leaders of the industry, the awards ceremony highlighted the way in which the industry is increasingly being seen as rewarding and socially worthwhile career option among younger people.
Garry Richmond, Director of Print Scotland, said: “The number of young people seeking life opportunities in the printing industry is growing all the time and 2023 could be a record year for apprentices, which is extremely encouraging.
“Employers are well aware of the imbalance in the age profile of their workforces and are very conscious of the need to introduce fresh, new talent, with new ideas and enthusiasms. Such people will be the future of the industry.
“The sector has significantly enhanced its support for apprentices the last two years and is definitely seeing the benefit of this forward-looking approach for employers and individuals. Now, we hope that the Scottish Government and its agencies will also loosen the purse strings to allow us to create more opportunities for our young people.”
The winners of the 2023 Apprentice of the Year Awards were:
- Overall Apprentice of Year – Nathan Burns, CCL Design, East Kilbride.
- Pre-Press Apprentice of the Year – Becky Young, J Thomson Colour Printers, Glasgow.
- Press Apprentice of the Year – Fraser Galloway, NSD Labels, Dalkeith.
- Post-Press Apprentice of the Year – Laura Macdonald, Bell and Bain, Glasgow.
Susan Graham, Print Scotland’s President, said: “As well as congratulating these very worthy winners, I want to thank all the employers who take on modern apprentices and the production teams and managers who take them under their wing to teach while hitting their own targets. Mentors have such an important role.
“The life choice of the apprentices is to be celebrated. We need to grow our own to control our own success.
“To illustrate the potential in the industry, I have just promoted someone who started as a graduate apprenticeship to commercial director and someone who started as an apprentice to manufacturing director.
“A big thank you also to Training Officer Jim McKenzie. He has modernised the whole process. It is no longer paper-based and is now a flexible model which works for everyone. His industry knowledge is second to none.
“Finally, and far from least we would like to thank our sponsors: Antalis, Muller Martini and CCL Design who have made this Award ceremony the success it has been.”
David McGinlay, of Muller Martini said: “As a Group, we are very proud to support young people across the world to help drive the latest technology and trends.
“Sustainable, professional, solid, we will always support Print Scotland in the quest to attract young people to our progressive industry.”
His remarks were echoed by Stephen Paul of Antalis: “We have sponsored the Scottish apprentice awards since their inception and are proud to continue to do so.
“These young people are the lifeblood and future of our industry and anything we can do to encourage them we would happily support. We wish all this year’s apprentices a long and successful career.”
Jim McKenzie said: “The industry is more creative than many people think, and it has a great future. Of course, it has changed, but so has every sector, and there are terrific opportunities for people who can rise to the challenge.”
Print Scotland provides training for Modern Apprentices through the Scottish Training Scheme, which provides a grant from the Scottish Government to cover the cost of the training.
It also provides a range of Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) as well as Modern Apprenticeship (MA) certification.
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