Business News
Heidelberg announces Skills Show shortlist
Wednesday 17. October 2012 - Heidelberg has hosted a familiarisation programme for four short-listed printing apprentices who will demonstrate their talents at The Skills Show, organised by worldskillsuk, which takes place at the NEC from 15 to 17 November. They will compete to win the Gold medal in the printing section.
Competitors will be expected to be able to competently run a five-colour offset litho printing press and guillotine and to have an understanding of consumables, including the ability to mix a special to a defined Pantone colour and to be able to measure and monitor colour.
The apprenticeship short list includes:
Jamie Cleaver, Warwick Printing
Craig Clifford, Stirland & Paterson
Ashley Howland, Hartgraph
Jordan Moore, Phase Print
Ironically Hartgraph’s latest press, a Speedmaster SM 52-5, was bought last year and delivered direct from the Worldskills International Show, the event which inspired the UK Government to create the national Skills Show event to promote vocational training.
Hartgraph’s SM 52-5 is the press Ashley Howland operates today. He has been with the company for two and a half years. Managing director Tony Brooks says: “This competition is good for Ashley in terms of experience and knowledge. He will have to work under pressure in a different environment. We have struggled to get apprentices in the past but Ashley was introduced to us by our van driver and he’s been a great asset to the company.”
Ashley himself admits that even though he is used to working under pressure the Skills Show is both nerve-racking and exciting. His grandfather was a newspaper printer with the Bucks Free Press which made him keen to join the industry.
Craig Clifford works across two B2 presses at Stirland & Paterson in Ilkeston. He has been with the company for six years, initially in warehousing and packing, then guillotining before two years ago getting the opportunity to become a press apprentice. “I want to prove what I can do. I thrive under pressure,” he says.
Jamie Cleaver was introduced to the Skills Show by BPIF co-ordinator Pete Shaw. He has been an apprentice at Warwick Printing for three years and he operates a B2 press. “The press we will compete on is the technology I’m used to although it will be smaller. But at the familiarisation day I have learnt new things, particularly in terms of the guillotine and conductivity.”
Jordan Moore of Phase Print is the BPIF Apprentice of the Year, announced last month. He has been an apprentice operating a Ryobi B3 press for one and a half years. The company has four printers operating across two different machines.
Heidelberg is being supported by the BPIF, Sappi and X-Rite in the quest to ensure the graphic arts industry is well represented at The Skills Show. Heidelberg is supplying a Speedmaster SX 52-5 five-colour press, a Polar 78 and Saphira inks for the event. Sappi is supplying the paper and X-Rite their EasyTrax and two 528 handheld spectrophotometers
The event at the NEC is expected to attract 150,000 students and adults and to provide a real insight into the careers open to young people wishing to pursue vocational rather than academic tertiary education.
“With this national event we plan to show just how great our top apprentices are and also how exciting and rewarding a career in printing can be. The finalists will be put through their paces at a venue which will feature apprentices from many other fields as well. It will be a prestigious win for the companies whose apprentices reach the final,” says Mr Hogan.
The BPIF will be represented on the independent panel of judges.