3 August 2012

Heidelberg leads a team searching for a Gold winning apprentice

The hunt is on to find young printing apprentices with the skills to secure the Gold in The Skills Show, organised by worldskillsuk.

Heidelberg is being supported by the BPIF, Sappi and X-Rite in the quest to ensure the graphic arts industry is well represented at this new showcase of vocational training which takes place at the NEC from 15 to 17 November.

Applications from apprentices, who have the support of their employers should be submitted by 7 September 2012. The form to complete is online at www.uk.heidelberg.com. Successful applicants will be invited to heats at Brentford, starting on 22 September with the finalists being announced on 3 October.

“The idea for the Skills Show comes from Worldskills International a biennial vocational skills competition that is hosted around the world, most recently in Calgary in 2009, London in 2011 and it will next be staged in Leipzig in 2013. With its focus on vocational education the current government has seized on the Worldskills competition concept as a great way of showcasing apprenticeships and is putting a lot of resources into launching what it is expected to become an annual event.

Heidelberg has been involved with Worldskills International since its inauguration in 1950 and we actively supported the London event but felt it was a pity that there has never been anyone representing UK Print competing against talent from countries such as Korea, Japan & the USA. The Skills Show will be a competition in its own right but our hope is that with this new event we will make the first step to ensuring that the UK print industry has a talented young person competing against the rest of the world, with luck in time for 2013 but certainly by Sao Paulo 2015” says Mark Hogan, marketing director of Heidelberg UK.

“The event at the NEC is expected to attract 150,000 students and adults and to provide a real insight into the careers open to young people wishing to pursue vocational rather than academic tertiary education. With this national event we plan to show just how great our top apprentices are and also how exciting and rewarding a career in printing can be. The finalists will be put through their paces at a venue which will feature apprentices from many other fields as well. It will be a prestigious win for the companies whose apprentices reach the final.”

Heidelberg is supplying a Speedmaster SX 52-5 five-colour press, a Polar 78 and Saphira inks for the event. Sappi is supplying the paper and X-Rite their Easy Track spectrophotometers.

The BPIF, which currently supports over 450 apprentices, will be proactively encouraging entries from its members as well as supplying a judge to join the independent panel of industry experts.

Competitors will be expected to be able to competently run a five-colour offset litho printing press and guillotine and to have an understanding of consumables, including the ability to mix a special to a defined Pantone colour and to be able to measure and monitor colour.

“We would like to think that the winner of the competition will be going on to the international event next year. It would be great to see Britain get a Gold in printing,” says Mr Hogan.

For further information please contact:
Diana Thompson, Plus Point PR Ltd, on 01494-817178 or Mark Hogan, Heidelberg UK, on 0844 892 2010