13 January 2005

BPIF urges members to support PrintIT! in schools

The BPIF has pledged to support a new £100,000+ initiative launched this week by Picon which will result in the most concerted industry-wide effort ever to raise the profile of the printing industry and encourage young people to make a career in printing. The initiative – named Print IT! – has been developed by Picon in association with the Specialist Schools Trust (SST) and the Fairtrade Foundation. Print IT! will be built around a national competition for Year 10 students (aged 15) in their first year of GCSE study, although it is also expected to attract interest from students in Years 9 and 11. Details of the competition are being finalised, but students will have to create a comprehensive "print-centric" campaign to promote Fairtrade. A launch to the national press is planned to coincide with Fairtrade week in March and the competition winners will be announced at IPEX 2006 where they can expect a total prize fund of about £100,000. BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson urges BPIF members to play an active role in ensuring PrintIT!’s success: “This will work. Nothing has been done by half-measures and thanks to the early efforts of Picon considerable financial support has already been secured from the industry to ensure this initiative is appropriately funded. The BPIF will be setting up a special PrintIT! Group, to which members will be able to subscribe for £100. These initiatives do not survive on charity alone and with your support and the support of the rest of the industry we will make a difference to the image of our sector amongst school children and the wider public.” The SST, the lead body for the Government's specialist schools programme, works to build relationships between business and industry and its network of over 2,400 affiliated secondary schools. The Fairtrade Foundation, which was voted Charity of the Year in 2004, campaigns to increase sales of Fairtrade-certified products, thus helping five million farmers and their families across 49 countries to achieve a better deal from trade. Alongside the BPIF, Wyndeham Press Group plc, Robert Horne Group, the BAPC and IPEX have already pledged to fulfil major roles in Print IT!. Picon chief executive John Brazier said that Picon has already canvassed its membership to assess their support for Print IT! and has been "delighted by the response. There is a general acknowledgement that we need more young people to enter the industry, and that the time has come to get our act together." Michael Johnson acknowledges the important role that Picon has played: "Picon should be congratulated on taking these steps in support of the industry. Print IT! will be of significant strategic benefit to the printing sector as industries such as our own suffer from the twin challenges of an ageing population and a bias against vocational careers amongst today's students. This initiative will give our industry a crucial 'first mover' advantage in what is going to become an increasingly competitive recruiting climate. Not only will it help to bring a new cohort of young people into the industry, it will also increase the profile of IPEX 2006 within the public domain and through that, the image of our sector. We are very excited about this campaign and look forward to working with Picon and the rest of the industry to make it happen." BPIF members interested in supporting the PrintIT! project should contact Ruth Yarnit on 020 7915 8310 or [email protected].