Candidates contact the local Printing Industries office and provide their details including the type of career they are looking for.

Companies notify of their ability or willingness to provide apprenticeships or traineeships or work experience. Printing Industries staff then match the companies with the most suitable candidates.

Joe Kowalewski, national communication and technical services manager for Printing Industries says NSW currently has six young people seeking apprenticeships, mainly in the Sydney area. Western Australia has several companies seeking potential apprentices or trainees and a few willing to take on work experience students.

He says, “We are also examining options for a web based registration facility and looking at new options for assessing candidates or ‘apprentice testing’ as it more commonly known,” he said.”

Kowalewski continues, “New technology developments have expanded the options to provide more comprehensive and better targeted assessments that benefit both the candidate and employer by identifying a wide range of characteristics both can use to determine mutual suitability.”

Kowalewski also says while global economic conditions were unsettling, now was not the time for companies to take their foot off the training accelerator.

He says, “In fact now is the time to seriously focus on training because conditions will improve and companies will need additional staff. Those that have training programs in place won’t have a problem and will continue to prosper while those who don’t will lose opportunities.”

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