At the St Bride Foundation in London on Thursday (14 October), the event brought together graduates that had completed their Level 5 Management Course with the BPIF over the past two years, as well as Level 2, 3, and 5 apprentices that have gone above and beyond in their work to be recognised for outstanding achievement.
The day began with a welcome and congratulatory speech by Ian Wilton, president of the BPIF, who went on to explain his own journey through the industry starting out as an apprentice. This was followed by Karly Lattimore, managing director of BPIF Training, who praised the cohorts, particularly for what they had achieved over the course of the pandemic.
During the event, presentations were made for the Victor Watson and Kathy Woodward awards, BPIF recognised accolades that provide winners with an opportunity to progress their continual professional development.
The Kathy Woodward Award for Learning, sponsored by Webmart, gave the winner £1,000 towards courses of their choice while the Victor Watson Trophy, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards, provided the winner with a chance to apply for £1,500 through The Printing Charity.
Nikki Chambers won the Kathy Woodward award, while Michal Harcarik was highly commended. The winner of the Victor Watson award was Elise Formston.
With two years’ worth of cohorts to celebrate since the pandemic, this year’s event saw a total of 100 people in attendance. 30 learners graduated while eight award winners were presented for their outstanding achievements.
In her closing speech, Lattimore said: “Apprenticeships are one of the most established ways of bringing new talent into the workforce – and one of the ways that our industry can remain competitively skilled in the future.
“We are extremely proud of all of our apprentices, and we look forward to you being the future leaders in our industry – we wish you every success in your careers.”
For information on how to sign up to an apprenticeship, or to get involved, contact Arun Madar at arun.madar@bpif.org.uk.
