A group of Future Print apprentices from around the country gathered in Melbourne recently to share perceptions and observations of their training and their experiences working in the print and graphic communications sector.
They joined members of the Future Print project team, Printing Industries and AMWU representatives to help evaluate the competency-based Future PrintApprenticeship program which has been running for the past two years.
The forum was organised by the Future Print Advisers team –John Scott, David Galbraith, Philippe Von Brandis-Martini and Gordon Wilson.
Keynote speaker Lorraine Cassin, national secretary AMWU Print Division, officially invited the apprentices’ input, saying this was their chance to be heard by the people reshaping the future of their ‘vibrant’ industry.
Apprentices were divided into smaller groups to discuss their experiences undertaking the new apprenticeship model. This covered how they feel about the industry and its opportunities and challenges, their experiences of workplace supervision and support, onsite learning and a range of topics that illustrate the apprentice experience.
Several apprentices were interviewed individually about their experiences and the new doors which the training was opening for them. All spoke highly of the industry and their particular fields.
Jessica McAuley, digital print apprentice from Drum Print in WA, said she had found print “a very rewarding industry to get into”, a sentiment echoed by Kurtis Vaness from One Point in NSW who is training indigital wide format print. He said his field was “a very interesting area to get into and gives you a practical career path”.
Prepress operator Felicity Wrangles from Griffin Press in SA also sees plenty of opportunities and options. “So many different technologies have come through and really helped expand and introduce new fields to the print and graphics industry,” she said. “With the new opportunities I can see emerging in screen printing, I can even see myself one day starting up my own business in graphic design.”
The apprentices also appreciated the opportunity to provide their feedback, ideas and suggestions, with many saying that the forum was not only informative for them, but was a very positive opportunity for them to make a “real contribution” to the future of their industry.
Kate Russell, printing machinist from Alpha Labels in NSW, summed up the general feeling in the room, saying, “It has been such an amazing opportunity to be able to speak to the people who are directly shaping the industry.”
Later in the day, guest speaker, Brett Maishman, national business manager at Fuji Xerox, pointed out that apprentices will play a major role in reshaping the industry of the future as they “pave their way” to a successful career.
As well as encouraging them to maintain their motivation and continue to seek opportunities to learn new skills and develop their abilities, Maishman emphasised the necessary qualities of enthusiasm, persistence and resilience, saying that as future industry leaders they must become “champions of change”.
The Future Print project, a federally-funded joint initiative between Printing Industries and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), was launched in 2014 to help develop a sustainable future training model to meet the needs of the rapidly transforming print and graphic communications sector.
It has already met its key target of 240 apprentices and additional apprentices will be recruited before the project concludes at the end of the year to test ways to improve the system.
With systems in place to fully recognise prior training and existing competencies and the ability for apprentices to set their own pace under the new model, many Future Print apprentices have already achieved a number of their progression benchmarks and are looking forward to qualifying in the near future.