Marketing for this year’s scheme started this week to encourage printers to link up with their nearest PrintIT! school and mentor students between 15-16 years of age.

Project director Paul Evans said: “It’s all about getting students to think of printing as a good career. In every town there is a printer, so why not get the printers to help schools local to them?”

More than 650 schools and 38,000 students have taken part in the Proskills-run scheme over the past three years, as well as more than 350 printers, including The Printing House in Crewe, which was voted best twinner in 2006.

Under the twinning scheme, printers liaise with a teacher at the twinned school and take part in a discussion about the printing industry.

The Stationers’ and New­s­paper Makers’ Company has also offered to match pound-for-pound what printers donate to the scheme, up to £15,000.

Visit www.printit.org.uk