Celebrating at an event on 23 August at the St Bride Foundation, London, the 28 who attended the ceremony readied themselves for roles in middle-management or at the helm of a print company. 

The Graduate Management Programme, which was conceived in 2013, attempts to provide prospective managers with a professional development plan to “set them on course to become future industry leaders,” according to the BPIF.

Speaking at the ceremony, BPIF chief executive Charles Jarrold congratulated the students on their efforts.

“Graduating today is a tremendous achievement. It requires real dedication to complete the two-year programme and achieve the high standards with all the other calls on your time, and that dedication together with the qualifications you now have will be hugely valuable as you develop your careers in our industry,” he said. 

Speaking to PrintWeek, BPIF programme director Ursula Daly, who is helping to shape the print industry's trailblazer apprenticeships scheme, said the day had been “absolutely terrific”.

“It reminded me why I go through all the stuff with the government that I do, when you see happy smiley faces around the room, even if sometimes I feel like it’s one step forward and three steps back at the moment with the government,” she said.

“It was a great day and a great celebration and they have worked those little socks off.”

The programme, which is part-time and equivalent to a foundation degree, consists of four elements: eight mandatory and eight optional management workshops, a diploma in the principles of leadership and management, an NVQ work-based diploma in management, and functional skills in maths, English and ICT.

Daly added: “Anyone doing a foundation degree within a two or two-and-a-half-year time period along with a full time job, that is a significant achievement.”