10 March 2005

Merseyside print firms to get £1m skills boost

The print and reprographics industry on Merseyside is to get a £1 million skills boost and a new state of the art computer-based learning centre. The PrintWorks programme, which will be launched next Wednesday at South Merseyside-based Partnership for Learning (PfL), will offer heavily subsided, demand-led training for print and reprographics firms on Merseyside, provided they employ less than 250 staff.Funded by the Learning & Skills Council Greater Merseyside, PrintWorks offers up-to-the minute training across a range of print-related disciplines and using state-of-the-art computer based programmes. The programme will fund training commenced between March 2005 and September 2006.The high-tech learning will be delivered at PfL?s new purpose-built print and digital media learning suite in Speke. It will be backed up by on-the-job training with one of PfL?s three training partners, St Helens College, Leeds College of Technology and the British Printing Industries Federation.The LSC subsidy offers discounts of 60% on training for small and medium enterprises (SME?s), from a lone photographer through to a small graphics studio or a printing business employing up to 250 staff.?We believe the print and reprographics industries on Merseyside are set for major growth? said Mark Donnelly, PfL?s Business Development Manager. ?The impending arrival of the £115 million Bertelsmann plant is really going to put Merseyside on the map as a centre of excellence and we at PfL, along with the Learning & Skills Council Greater Merseyside, want to see that the whole industry benefits, right through the supply chain. The PrintWorks programme, and our new facility are designed to meet the skills needs of local firms and really help them raise their game.?For more information contact PfL on 0151 288 2100.