Rachel Lawrie embarked on an apprenticeship in the printing industry straight from school and has never looked back. She sums up her work as a print administrator with Midlothian-based FLB Group as “enjoyable and rewarding”. The 20-year-old from Dalkeith, where FLB is headquartered, had no prior knowledge of the print sector and no relations in the industry to advise her, but she has excelled at her duties and is now a highly-regarded member of the 200-strong team.She said:

“What I love is that each day is different and I really enjoyed being able to go round the various departments at my work, to understand all the many processes involved in making the finished products”

“I was really surprised about how much work, and how many different stages, are involved in completing a project. I would like to learn the broader aspects of the printing industry and, through time, gain more qualifications and experience to help progress my career.”

I would strongly recommend the apprenticeship route for people seeking a satisfying career, since it is a great way to learn different skills and gain valuable qualifications while earning a good wage.

Rachel’s line manager, Estimating Team Leader, Stephen Hall, is unstinting in his praise of the way she has developed since she started with the firm. He said:

“Under exceptional circumstances over the past couple of years, Rachel has flourished amazingly well.”

“Working part of her time from home hasn’t prevented her from progressing with her knowledge of the business, whether in manufacturing support or other departments. She has gone from being a shy, reserved newbie to a much more positive and outgoing member of our team.”

“There is not much more advice or tuition I could now give her on print administration in manufacturing support. Indeed, she could now probably teach me a thing or two. I would like Rachel now to take a more active role in print estimating, as I see this as her
next progression.”

HR Manager Fiona MacDonald said that 36 staff members had come through the apprenticeship route and that the Group is planning to recruit four more apprentices this year.

Potential applicants should contact her at fmacdonald@flbgroup.com
For more information, visit flbgroup.com

It is a daunting task working with a huge, noisy machine which is the size of a football pitch, but the massive newspaper press which star printing apprentice Jay Findlater looks after now holds no terrors for him.

The 19-year-old from Wishaw in Lanarkshire has finished his third year at Newsprinters, whose Eurocentral plant houses two XXL Manroland Colourman presses. This combination makes it the largest newspaper printing press in the world, with the capacity to produce 172,000 colour copies of a 144-page tabloid every hour. Jay, who won a Press (Machine Printing) award, entered his apprenticeship straight from school via an open day held by East Kilbride Group Training Association, and is now into his improver’s year in his training to be a print technician. He said:

“I always wanted to earn while I learned – that is the great thing about an apprenticeship – and the variety of training has been vast. I have been exposed to every department – pre-press, plate making, preparing reels, post-press stacking and maintenance.”

I knew nothing about print before I started, but the process of producing a newspaper every night is amazing and people simply don’t appreciate the scale, the skills and the effort involved. My aim is to become a fully-fledged printer, running the presses, then move on to being a lead printer on the path to a management position in the future.”

Monica Martin, the senior operations manager at Eurocentral said that Jay was the first apprentice the UK firm had employed in Scotland for 16 years, and the experience has paved the way for two more positions this year. She said:

“Jay is keen, curious and is taking his learning seriously. He brings eagerness, a fresh approach, youth and energy to the company, which is very refreshing as lots of colleagues are much older, with the average age of printers being 55. The age profile highlights the need to look ahead, and apprentices help with the succession planning of the business. We have to have youth coming through. The apprentices are the future of the industry.”Newsprinters has a headcount of 80 and, while invested in the daily newspaper market, plans to be more collaborative with other printers.”

For more information visit: newsprinters.co.uk

Printing runs in Christopher Dinnes’s family – his grandfather, grandmother and uncle all are, or have been, in the industry. So, it was only natural that when the possibility of an apprenticeship in his uncle’s firm came up, he was the first to apply.

The 23-year-old from Armadale in West Lothian is now in his first year doing SVQ Press at SCQF Level 3 in his uncle Andrew Dinnes’s Livingston-based company Captivate Creative, which specialises in short run digital printing, signage, banners, flags, exhibition products and branded merchandise. Christopher said:

“Despite the fact that so many members of my family have been in the trade, I never really realised the variety that comes under the heading of print. So far, I have been involved in digital, wide format and finishing.

“What has surprised me is the scale of the business and how accurate you have to be throughout the process. So much thought goes into every production to make it as perfect as possible.

“I now want to progress my skills and get to point where the work produced is as good as It can be. In five years, hopefully, I would like to be in a management position, leading other employees and apprentices and sharing opportunities with other young people like me.”

Andrew Dinnes has three employees engaged on digital and large format print, and a large client base within the hospitality and events sector. He said: “Christopher has been thrown in at the deep end and has been exposed to all parts of the business and the full range of processes we use.

“It is a small business, so he is not focused on any one single machine. He operates the digital press, the wide format press and various pieces of finishing equipment – folding machines, guillotines and various other machines. The intention is that that he will have a rewarding career at end of his apprenticeship.

“I have been impressed by his youthful willingness to learn new skills and his eagerness to take part in an industry that certainly is in need of fresh talent. I will certainly be happy to go down the apprenticeship route when I am hiring in the future.”

A word to the wise set Hazel Linden on the road to her dream career when a friend, the Digital Print manager at Glasgow-based J Thomson Colour Printers, recommended that she try for an apprenticeship at the firm where she is now in her third year of lithographic printing training.

Hazel Linden, 25, who lives in Glasgow’s Dennistoun, had explored a number of career options, including acting and working in a law firm, before settling into her role of printing products such as leaflets, brochures, programmes and calendars. She said:

“In lithographic printing an image of the content you want to produce is placed on an aluminium plate which is then covered in ink and transferred to the sheet. This process can be used to print on paper, cardboard or other materials and is the most economical way to print books, brochures, leaflets and a huge range of other items.

“My work involves running an operational KBA lithographic printing machine the size of a ship. Some of my daily tasks include filling ink ducts, locating materials, changing rollers, adjusting roller settings, blanket changes and operating machinery using computerised technology.

“Seeing my print work in real life settings like a banner, poster or as a restaurant menu, for example, gives you a real sense of pride and I would recommend an apprenticeship to others, though it depends on the individual as you need an open mind. I never thought I would work in a printing plant, but I was willing to give it a go and really love it.

“At the moment, a qualified printer will supervise and oversee my work to double check everything but eventually I will run it once I am qualified. I really like the job and the people I work with, though I am the only female in the team, which I found rather surprising.

I am also a mental health first aider – a role the company established during the pandemic – and there is now one in every department. My immediate goal is to qualify and work hard, perhaps eventually seeking a role in management.

Kevin Creechan, Managing Director of J Thomson Colour Printers, employs 120 people in Tradeston and currently has four apprentices, whom he said bring a continuity of the craft and a youthful vibrancy to their work. He said: “Hazel is doing extremely well and is certainly up to the task. She is strong both physically and in her character but, above all, she has a desire to succeed and is always on the front foot.

“She fitted in very well with her colleagues and is still learning. She lost six or seven months of experience due to Covid but has done exceptionally well in recovering that time. Particularly, she has a hunger to learn her trade and become expert in it. Her attitude is exactly what we love to see.

“We like to be able to guide our apprentices into the correct way of working and in acquiring the right skills, including workplace awareness issues like Health and Safety.

“We are always looking for more people, and applicants can get in touch with anyone, including me, or contact us through our website“.