You’re hired!
It is quite apt that we begin this feature as the new series of ‘The Apprentice’ starts on the BBC. While perhaps the television programme these days features young people seeking a path to fame rather than business success, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to actual apprenticeship schemes, especially those in print.
In recent years, Print Monthly has carried a whole host of stories telling of the successes of apprenticeships.
O Factoid: Nick Hewer, one of the original aides to Lord Alan Sugar on the ‘The Apprentice’, spoke at The Print Show 2022 O
Whether it is a company hiring apprenticeship staff to full-time roles, or long-serving staff speaking of their journey to a current role having started out as an apprentice, there are many good things to be said about these schemes.
So, how do you go about introducing an apprenticeship programe to your business? We speak with a number of industry organisations to find out the best way forward.
Addressing the skills gap
One of the leading supporters of apprenticeships in print is the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF). Karly Lattimore, managing director of BPIF Training, says apprentices, whether this be taking on an apprentice in a business or using the apprenticeship scheme to retrain a workforce, can certainly go a long way in mitigating the increasing skills gap in print.
Karly Lattimore, managing director of BPIF Training, says apprentices can help mitigate the increasing skills gap in print
“It’s widely accepted that our industry has an ageing workforce and a growing skills gap,” Lattimore says, adding: “It’s important to recruit or retrain to take advantage of those that are close to exiting businesses because they have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share with the new generation that will otherwise be lost. It’s not just the technical apprentices, apprenticeship programmes in business skills and management can increase leadership capacity in the workforce too.”
It’s widely accepted that our industry has an ageing workforce and a growing skills gap”
Lattimore goes on to say that introducing apprenticeship schemes into a business can add a whole new approach to a workforce, bringing new ideas and a fresh perspective. She adds that investing in workforce development can motivate existing staff by demonstrating long-term planning, leading to increased employee satisfaction and increased productivity.
“Hiring an apprentice and progressing them within your organisation also aids staff retention, providing your business with skilled employees for the future, thus reducing recruitment costs,” Lattimore explains.
“In fact, with BPIF Training, more than 95% of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship programme remain with the same employer upon completion, often progressing on to a higher-level apprenticeship. With significant funding available to support apprenticeship programmes, apprenticeships are a cost-efficient way of tackling the skills shortages in our industry.”
So, how do you go about getting involved and how can the BPIF help? Lattimore says that for anyone who might have engaged in apprenticeship training in the past, they will know there is a fair amount of work to be done in ensuring that your business is set up to take on an apprentice.
“Funding needs to be reserved, contracts need to be in place, vacancies must be advertised, and this is all before the apprentice even begins,” Lattimore explains, adding: “This being said, BPIF Training can support with all of this, guiding you through the whole process.
“Whether you are an apprenticeship levy-paying organisation that is uncertain about how to allocate your levy pot, or if you are a smaller printer who needs support to access funding, we are able to support you to develop your workforce and create the print industry of the future.”
The BPIF is a Grade 2 Ofsted provider, the biggest provider of both print and print-related apprenticeships in England, with over 400 apprentices currently on the programme. The BPIF currently offers trade and business skills across two sectors for apprenticeships.
Under the BPIF’s trade suite are four apprenticeship programmes, the first of which being the Print Operative and Print Technician programmes, which are all-encompassing offering three specialisms: pre-press, press, and post-press.
Next, the Signage Technician apprenticeship is aimed at those looking to develop capacity in their business to design, manufacture, fabricate, and install signage. Finally, the Lean Manufacturing Operative standard is applicable in all manufacturing businesses and focuses on developing and supporting improvement, using continuous improvement methods, kaizen tools, process visualisation using lean principles and problem-solving tools and techniques.
Within its business skills, the BPIF delivers a range of programmes including team leading and management apprenticeships up to level five, customer service and sales, and business administration. Also, the newly introduced Supply Chain Practitioner programme has been launched in response to industry feedback and is aimed at developing skills in procurement, planning manufacturing, forecasting, customer service, and logistics – all skills needed for a modern print business.
“We are committed to ensuring that our programmes meet the needs of our industry,” Lattimore says.
Plenty of benefits
Elsewhere and another organisation championing apprenticeship schemes is the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA). Both IPIA members, Spectrum Print & Plastics and Eight Days a Week Print Solutions (EDWPS) have both employed apprentices and were part of the IPIA’s gateway to the government’s Kickstart scheme
[L to R] Callum Draycott and Sam Riley were taken on by EDWPS as part of Kickstart and now have full-time jobs there
Kath Doran, managing director of Spectrum Print & Plastics, says the business had a two-pronged approach to getting involved with apprenticeships. It worked with GC Business Hub, which involved a qualification when the course was complete and a mentor with experience from the manufacturing sector to coach and support the employer and the apprentice throughout the course.
“The course by the Business Hub was tailored around the role in the workplace, while we also worked directly with the colleges,” Doran says, adding: “In this case, the apprentice was already enrolled on a course that they were interested in, so there was some buy-in and commitment from the start. This also ensures the apprentice gets a recognised qualification at the end of the course.
“There is a dedicated college mentor for the length of the course, and we found working with the colleges very rewarding and gained more than we expected. We were invited to talk at open evenings to potential future students and parents with experience from an employer and apprentice perspective, which helped promote print as a viable career option. All this gave our apprentices a wealth of experience and demonstrated their importance in the workplace and the community.”
Lance Hill, managing director of EDWPS, also spoke highly of these schemes, saying if you invest in apprentices, then the return can be significant. He says he has witnessed this many times over his 32-year-plus career in print, including himself having started as an apprentice at 16 straight from school.
“There is a skills gap in print and an ageing workforce where not enough new talent is entering the industry at the bottom, which is a problem for the sector’s future resilience and continuity,” Hill says.
“Printers should consider an apprentice for two primary reasons. Firstly, it is a great way of bringing in an extra pair of hands who can not only bring incredibly useful suggestions to the company in areas like social media but who can also be moulded to the company’s culture from the get-go. If they have the right mindset, which is the priority during recruitment, you have the potential to develop an individual who can be part of the fabric of the business going forward.
“The second reason why is that print companies would be giving an opportunity to a young person to learn and develop themselves, in an industry that is not always the obvious choice for a school or college leaver. If they apply themselves, they can follow the pathway as many have done over the years, to reach the top and add real value to the business and industry they work in.”
As to how the IPIA can support, the organisation can help initiate or find government-backed schemes that can be crafted into something more print specific, which could also be funded by sponsors.
“A bit like the Kickstart scheme; it needs promotion and some volunteer members to get on board, almost as a pilot,” the IPIA says, adding: “In past programmes, the IPIA has helped most by making the administrative side as simple as possible in setting things up, shielding members from cumbersome bureaucracy, identifying pitfalls, and making application processes as smooth as possible.
Daryl Dalrymple-Owen went through the Kickstart scheme at Spectrum and now
works there full-time
Hill additionally makes the point that organisations like the IPIA are in the unique position of being able to create consortiums like it did with Kickstarter, which enabled smaller printers to take advantage of government initiatives that require a minimum commitment.
“It can also help simplify the admin, which has been quite grim in previous schemes, especially when dealing with the red tape from candidates on universal credit, for example,” Hill says, adding: “Apprenticeships can minimise risk and if print companies are nervous about costs, then government support can help alleviate such concerns. It’s a cost-effective solution to having an extra pair of hands on board.
“We share the IPIA’s views that schemes like this have to be a good thing for the industry’s longevity, they incentivise employers to onboard a younger workforce and get young people off universal credit and create opportunities and work experience that help them build a CV and a career path and continuity for print.”
Further development
For further proof of the success of apprenticeships in print, one only needs to look to Print Scotland, which each year celebrates apprentices across the country for their work. During the most recent annual awards, honours were handed out for the Overall Apprentice of the Year, Post Press Apprentice of the Year, and Press Apprentice of the Year.
The four winners were Christopher Dinnes, Craig Knight, Hazel Linden, and Kyle Clark, all of whom are planning to continue and progress their roles in the print industry.
Print Scotland provides training for Modern Apprentices through the Scottish Training Scheme with help from the Scottish Government. The awards act as an opportunity to highlight the work of the Scottish print community along with showcasing the potential leaders of the future.
But the work does not stop here for Print Scotland, with the organisation constantly lobbying the country’s government for more funding for apprenticeship schemes. In December, campaign groups noted that the budget for training providers delivering apprenticeship programmes had been frozen, with this being taken as a real terms cut given the increase in inflation rates.
Such has been the impact of this freeze that campaigners, which also include the Scottish Training Federation, say many training providers will have to make redundancies or close their businesses, without intervention by the government.
This would then lead to many young people not completing apprenticeships on schedule, which could in turn harm Scotland’s economic recovery as opportunities for young people are reduced.
In response, parliament called on the government to come forward with funding to ensure that a further 2,000 apprenticeships are funded in the next six months to meet what it understands is “significant employer demand”.
With plenty of backing from industry organisations, and the hope of additional funding from governments, there is plenty of support for apprenticeship schemes moving forward and print business across the UK will continue to feel the benefits of such initiatives in the long term.
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