PrintNZ has named MCC Auckland flexographic printer Levi Lindsey as the BJ Ball Print Apprentice of the Year.
Ruth Cobb, chief executive of PrintNZ, announced the Apprentice of the Year and other Training Awards winners at the gala 2024 Pride In Print Awards Evening, hosted by Hilary Barry at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. She said, “This truly is the highlight of my job – recognising the people that will be the future of our industry and the businesses that encourage them
“Some, uninformed, people might say you don’t need skill to be a printer anymore, but there is a lot more to print than pushing an on and off switch. If we are going to continue to stretch the boundaries and wow our customers, we need to continue to master the dynamics of inks, substrates, colour management and finishing, to say nothing of the complexities of the front end.”
The five Apprentice of the Year finalists were Levi Lindsey, MCC Albany; George Cunningham, Allied Press; Anna Hodge, Be My Guest Design; Amit Shankar, Labelmakers; and Kathryn Wheeler, Freedom Plus. The final selection took place after the candidates’ interviews earlier on the day of the awards evening.
Ruth says, “They were all so passionate. Every one of them spoke with such technical detail about the work they brought along – highlighting again that print is a craft. A comment from one of them today summed this up when they said: ‘The fundamentals only get you so far’.
“And a point to note about this particular group of people, who all graduated last year, is they pretty much completed their entire apprenticeship under the auspices of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruptions that brought to workplaces, families and businesses.
“I know this is just the beginning of their journeys. The learning does not stop here. They all have aspirations to go further and do more and we are so glad they are doing that in our industry.”
Levi Lindsey sais, “I am truly honoured to receiving the award. “I want to thank MCC Auckland, formerly known as Adhesif Labels, my colleagues and my mentors for their unwavering support and guidance. This achievement is a testament to their dedication and belief in me.
“To my fellow apprentices: keep striving for excellence and never stop learning. Together, we can shape the future of the industry.”
Haydn Mitchell, technical manager at MCC Auckland, said, “Levi’s first role at Adhesif Labels was working in our post-press cleaning area. Having shown a keen interest in printing, he progressed to the role of flexo printer assistant. Having excelled at this he was offered a flexo printing apprenticeship.
“His proactive approach, combined with consistently delivering top-notch quality work and keeping that positive attitude, speaks volumes about his dedication and work ethic.
“I was not surprised at all to see Levi excel in his apprenticeship. With his commitment and upbeat demeanour, it was pretty much a given.”
