A bid submitted to the Government to carry out changes to apprenticeships within the printing industry has been successful.
The submission to develop new apprenticeship standards for the printing industry was made by a consortium chaired by Ryedale Group and supported by De La Rue as deputy chair. The consortium will head up a group of print employers in designing the new apprenticeship print standards for print finishers, pre-press operatives, and printers.
James Buffoni, managing director, Ryedale Group said, ‘We are excited by the challenge of developing comprehensible industry relevant standards with clear end point qualifications that are recognised as both relevant and rigorous. I am confident the consortium team has the range of expertise and the communication infrastructure to deliver on this important project’.
After feedback on an initial round of applications the consortium, comprising of a range of print companies, and including the BPIF, Proskills, The Printing Charity and Unite was formed. The consortium will adopt an inclusive approach to the task and will welcome input from other organisations with closely aligned occupations and interests.
Skills minister, Nick Boles, commented, ‘I am delighted that Ryedale and members of the Printing Trailblazer are to join more than 1000 of the country’s leading employers in designing new top quality apprenticeships. Giving employers like Ryedale the power to design apprenticeships means that apprentices graduate with the skills they need for the job they want and businesses get the talent they need to grow.’
Tim Elliott, Unite regional office, South East, said, ‘We have known for several years that the closures of the print colleges and the technical schools for papermaking have had a detrimental impact on the training provision within our Industry. Not only will this help us put that back in place but it will help us to attract young people.’
