Susan Graham, president of Print Scotland, spirited an appeal for more young people to consider the attractions of an apprenticeship in the print industry, at the ninth annual Scottish Print Apprentice of the Year awards.
At a ceremony held in Glasgow, Ms Graham urged more young people to get involved in the sixth largest sector in the economy, which she says has never gone away and continues to thrive. She described print as a renewable source and tactile, used by people across the globe. We need to grow our own to control our success, she added.
Her message to the young people of Scotland highlighted the value of the industry, describing it as rewarding, satisfying and important to the health and strength of the economy. It’s an industry which she urges all young people to consider.
With four awards handed to young apprentices, the ceremony highlighted the way in which the industry is increasingly being seen as a rewarding and socially worthwhile career option among younger people.
Garry Richmond, director of Print Scotland, said, ‘Refreshing and enhancing our talent bank of printing expertise is vital as an increasing cohort of highly experienced print professionals reach retirement age.
‘With this new stream of print apprentices present today, whose ability, aptitude and potential we recognise in the distribution of these awards, we can be cautiously optimistic about the future of our industry. The print sector has significantly enhanced its support for apprentices in recent years and is definitely seeing the benefit of this forward-looking approach for employers and individuals.
‘We urge the Scottish Government and its agencies to reinforce our success by continuing to invest significantly to allow us to create more opportunities for our young people.’
