As part of its Postgraduate Bursary Scheme, Stationers’ Foundation – the charitable arm of the Stationers’ Company – is offering a £6,000 bursary to be used by a single student or shared between a group of students from within the printing industry who want to undertake the MSc Management programme.

The BPIF has worked on the programme in partnership with private education provider the Management Development Centre for around two years; the MSc is awarded by the University of South Wales.

The £5,990-course can take as little as 12 months to complete, is targeted at people with more than five years' experience working in the print industry and, according to BPIF programme director Ursula Daly, is a natural progression from its Level 5 Graduate Management programme.

“The industry has gone through an awful lot of change in recent years, moving from being a strictly manufacturing-type industry and becoming more of a service industry and moving away from national agreements to individual discussions," she said.

“And while it has traditionally recruited from within – something to be proud of I think – it hasn’t perhaps always given those people the right tools to excel and work their way up the management chain.”

Daly added: “That was the reason we origainally introduced the Level 3 Graduate Management Programme but then we extended it to Level 5 and even then people told us they wanted more. The desire to reach their potential is there.”

There are currently eight people at various stages of the masters course and Daly said that with two enrolment points during the year – September and April – she hopes that the new bursary funding will encourage others, to apply.

The funding is available for the next academic year, beginning this September, so Daly is urging anyone considering it to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be held at Stationers’ Hall in London.

Contact ursula.daly@bpif.org.uk for more details.