Blue Star Group chief executive Jill Cowling described being “thrilled” at the award recognition for Blue Star Wellington’s commitment “towards supporting the many aspirational people who want to complete an apprenticeship and continue their career development”.
She said, “It’s a pleasure to see their success and for many of our apprentices to go on to become trainers themselves.”
Dean Oliver, Blue Star Wellington operations general manager, welcomed the award as a “true testament to the hard work of our team, our trainers and of course, our apprentices and trainees”.
He said, “We’ve been finalists before, but this is the second time we’ve taken out the award, which makes it all the more special. Training has been a core focus for us at Blue Star and we see it as a long term investment in the future of the print industry.
“One initiative we’re particularly proud of is our experienced team leaders taking apprentices under their wing. We run internal workshops and cross-training opportunities to build capability and keep people engaged in their career development.
“Of course, financial incentives help, but it’s the sense of belonging that truly makes the difference.”
While training requires a time and financial investment, he believed “the return far outweighs the cost”. He explained, “We see it in the skill level of our teams, their confidence on the floor and the loyalty they show to the business.
“Well-trained staff are more engaged and adaptable, and they bring fresh ideas into our operations. It also fosters a positive team culture; one that shows we’re truly invested in our people’s growth.”
He added that the business is developing a digital print skills module to support team members working with the firm’s latest digital technology. He commented, “As the industry continues to evolve, we want to ensure our people are equipped with the right skills to keep pace. We offer leadership development programmes to help grow our future supervisors and managers from within.”
Acknowledging PrintNZ and Competenz for their roles in continuing to prioritise industry training, he said, “Recognition like this keeps the spotlight on the importance of building skills from the floor up and we’re so proud to be part of the print industry. Winning Training Company of the Year has only fuelled our motivation to do even more in the training space.
“We love print and we love what we do at Blue Star. Bring on another year!”
