PrintNZ has named Travis Jordan, from Soar Print, the 2020 BJ Ball Papers Print Industry Apprentice of the Year.
He received the Apprentice of the Year title during the recent Pride In Print Awards gala night. He says, “This is something I’ll happily carry with me throughout my career. To have this acknowledgment for the effort and time I put into my craft is really special and a reminder you get out what you put in.
“In my acceptance speech, I mentioned I received so much incredible support from my family. In addition, I received support from those I’ve had the pleasure of working with. This includes incredible mentors, whom I’ve learnt a lot from, Alex Huynh, Stephen Anderson, Brian Landry and Michael Petelo.”
“I love the sense of respect we have for one another in the print industry. We all share our tough days and our good days. So, to be acknowledged by those close to me who understand the effort I’ve put in really does mean a great deal.”
Future goals
He sees the achievement as a spur on to future goals. He says, “I am excited to continue to innovate and grow. I will work alongside the ever-evolving technology that we have within the industry. Overall, it spurs me to step out of my comfort zone, try something new, and give it a go.
“I also feel excited to see where the industry may take me. At Soar, we look at taking things a bit further. We like to see something new and challenging. Also, we love to show our existing and future clients what we’re capable of.”
“I feel honoured to have shared the nomination with the other Top Five Apprentices. They have also worked just as hard as I have to truly prove they are the best at what they do. They’re the new leaders for our industry and they should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved so far in their careers.”
Confidence and maturity
Fred Soar, managing director at Soar Print, has enjoyed seeing Jordan develop and grow throughout the apprenticeship. Soar says, “Even when he got up and spoke, the confidence and the maturity, it was really cool to see. Travis started working for us on a casual basis. Subsequently, we approached him and asked: ‘Do you want to be an apprentice?’ We could see he was a pretty focused guy. He is a quick learner and has great mechanical aptitude.
“But I think initially we had to cajole him into it. He had other career aspirations. So, we had to show him it was a good trade and a nice place to work.
“He has now gone on to the next level. Effectively, he has become a trainer himself. He is training the younger apprentices for us.”
