6 August 2018

Apprenticeship’s champion

The BPIF continuously champion apprenticeships. Through our support of the trailblazer for our Trade Apprenticeship Standard which thankfully has now been passed, to our delivery of over 550 Level 2-5 apprenticeships throughout the industry, we really believe that they, when delivered correctly, benefit apprentices and businesses invaluably.

Which is why we were so glad to be able to support The Stationers' Company in June when they launched Apprentice 18 in partnership with Ravensbourne University. A careers fair with 30 employers, we hosted a print space with our members DG3, Boss Print, Precision Printing, Pureprint and Romax, which was visited by over 300 students from academies across Greater London.

The BPIF wanted to ensure print had a prominent presence and our members certainly didn't disappoint bringing their most engaging samples and talking enthusiastically to the students about the variety of roles within their companies. Engaging with schools is a very big deal for us and it was crucial that we showed students the scope and variety of the print industry.

The day was a huge success in bringing together schools and demonstrating to them the brilliance and variety of our sector. It was really encouraging to see so many students interested in the possible apprenticeships offered by our selection of printers – we have a real variety. Therefore the BPIF want to urge the industry to grab hold of opportunities such as these to promote themselves to the younger generation. Go to career fairs, visit local schools, and host those students on work experience as this is what will ensure the visibility of our industry to the next generation.

The BPIF also attended this year's Shine Awards, where we had a stand and were able to showcase the wide variety of different forms of printing, from an old letterpress to 3D printing, to the school children at the event.

The Apprenticeship Training Levy has recently had its first anniversary and while not perfect has raised the profile and the importance of apprenticeship training. While the Government have reported that nationally apprenticeship numbers have dipped by 25% in the first two quarters, which was attributed to the levy, we are pleased to say this is not the case for our sector and we expect uptake to remain as strong as ever.

For more information on BPIF Training or how to get involved with schools please click here.