Apprentices to be honoured at LIA Graduate Awards

Six offset print apprentices are competing to be the Lithographic Institute of Australia’s NSW Graduate of the Year on May 14, which celebrates the infusion of new blood into the industry.

The graduating apprentices, including one from recently-collapsed Focus Press, were put forward by their TAFE teaching staff as the ‘pick of the bunch’ in their area of offset print and finishing, with the winner chosen by a judging panel of LIA members.

The winner will along with those from other states, be flown to the LIA’s biennial conference where, apart from active participation in the conference program, they are interviewed by a national judging panel to select one for the $15,000 GAMAA-LIA National Graduate Scholarship Prize.

Hannanprint general manager Adrian O’Connor says he is proud of the company’s web litho graduate who is up for the award and considers the nomination a vote of confidence for Hannanprint’s training program, which has eight apprentices in NSW alone.

“It’s a great recommendation for our investment in apprentices and training junior staff,” he says.

“We have always had a big focus on training apprentices rather than only bringing people in from elsewhere to the industry. New blood is good for printing and we are doing our part to add talent to it.”

[Related: More awards news]

The awards dinner, sponsored by Heidelberg, will be hosted by executive director of Two Sides Australia and the Australian Catalogue Association (ACA), and former Geon executive, Kellie Northwood, with a keynote address likely discussing the sustainable qualities of print.

The LIA says: “With her many hats, she is an advocate for the communications industry and the printed medium more broadly and believes that paper and print play a vital role in multi-channel marketing, noting in particular prints unique strengths in a noisy digital world.”

Hannapak leads the way with two graduates, including one that was incorrectly identified as a Hannanprint employee in the event invitation. The finalists are as follows:

·  Carl Weeks, for web litho, from Hannanprint

·  Corey Morse, for screen printing, from Print Hutt

·  David Purtell, for litho web, from Rural Press

·  James Wesley, for graphic prepress, from Hannapak

·  Mitchell Brennan, for sheet litho, from Hannapak

·  Troy Kelso, for print finishing, from Focus Press

The event is at the North Ryde RSL, on the corner of Pittwater and Magdala Roads, North Ryde. Guests are invited to gather for pre-dinner drinks from 6:30pm, with dinner served at 7.15pm.

Tickets a $99 per head, with tables of eight or 10 available. For more information call (02) 9648 1258, visit the LIA website or email mikewil@optusnet.com.au Bookings close may 9.

click hereBookings close May 9.

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