The Image Data Group in Willerby, East Yorkshire, has been awarded a two-year contract to supply printing services to Ufi, the government-funded group set up to encourage lifelong learning.


In the first instance, Ufi considered 60 companies in a complex tendering process.


Operating from a Sheffield base, Ufi runs more than 1,000 Learndirect centres across the UK, offering a wide range of courses for adults, from literacy and numeracy skills through to IT training and business courses. Although 80% of the courses are conducted online, Ufi requires a wide range of printed materials, including posters, publicity materials, learning packs and course books.


So far 130,000 adults have signed up to do courses with Learndirect, and Ufi hopes to increase that figure to 1m by 2003.


"We were looking for a printer who could deliver a wide range of print, from letterheads to CD packaging. We were impressed by the Image Data Group," said Ufi communications manager Elizabeth Underwood.


Image Data employs 160 staff and has an annual turnover of about 14m. It handles most jobs in-house, and has a wide range of blue-chip clients including Sainsburys and Levi Strauss.


"We have quite a broad-ranging brief from Ufi, and anticipate providing colour commercial printing and point-of-sale materials as well as digital print," said Paul Andrew, Image Data Group sales and marketing manager.


"I think we won the contract because we have a broad range of print capability on-site, and the technology to back it up. This contract fits in nicely with our portfolio."


Story by Fay Schopen