Ninth annual Apprentice of the Year Awards winners revealed

The ninth annual Scottish Print Apprentice of the Year awards have announced winners. The awards which recognized the achievements of print apprentices and their potential to secure the future health and prosperity of the printing industry in Scotland, heard a spirited appeal from its president for more young people to consider the attractions of an apprenticeship in the print industry.   

At a ceremony held in Glasgow last week (Friday, June 7) Susan Graham, president of Print Scotland, the trade association and voice of Scotland’s graphic communication industry, said: ‘Today we celebrate the success of our young print industry colleagues, all of whom, I am certain, have an outstanding future ahead of them, because the print industry, the sixth largest sector in the economy, has never gone away and continues to thrive. 

‘Print is still here, present in all our lives. It is a renewable resource, it is tactile and people, across the globe, continue to use it every day, not just to inform and entertain themselves, but also to organize their lives. We need to grow our own to control our own success. So as well as congratulating today’s award-winners, my message to the young people of Scotland is that a career in the print industry continues to be rewarding, satisfying and important to the health and strength of our economy and one that I urge them to consider.’ 

Graham also thanked 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. ‘A big thank you also to training officer Jim McKenzie. He has modernized the whole process. With enormous passion and commitment and has overseen a flexible training model which works for everyone. His industry knowledge is second to none.’

Graham also appreciated award sponsors Antalis, Muller Martini, CCL Design and EBB. 

Four awards were made to outstanding apprentices, in addition to an innovative new category, ‘Mentor of The Year’ which recognizes the vital role experienced print industry professionals can play in bringing apprentices to fulfil their potential. 

As well as raising the profile of future leaders of the print sector, the awards ceremony highlighted the way in which it is increasingly being seen as a rewarding and socially worthwhile career option among younger people.  

Garry Richmond, director of Print Scotland, said: ‘Refreshing and enhancing our talent bank of printing expertise is vital as an increasing cohort of highly experienced print professionals reach retirement age. 

‘With this new stream of print apprentices present today, whose ability, aptitude and potential we recognize in the distribution of these awards, we can be cautiously optimistic about the future of our industry. The print sector has significantly enhanced its support for apprentices in recent years and is definitely seeing the benefit of this forward-looking approach for employers and individuals. 

‘We urge the Scottish Government and its agencies to reinforce our success by continuing to invest significantly to allow us to create more opportunities for our young people.’ 

The winners of the 2023 Apprentice of the Year Awards were: 

Pre-Press Apprentice of the Year – Jack Campbell, Deacon Brothers, Kirkintilloch 

Press Apprentice of the Year – Adam Dobbie, Newsprinters UK, Eurocentral 

Post-Press Apprentice of the Year – Jack Clark, Bell and Bain, Glasgow 

Mentor of the Year – Gordon Sally, Bell & Bain, Glasgow 

Overall Apprentice of the Year – Liam Thomson, FLB, Dalkeith, Midlothian 

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.