Apprentice Printer - Boston
REFLEX LABELS LIMITED
Boston, PE20 3PW
Closes in 16 days (Monday 2 December at 11:59pm)
Posted on 21 May 2024
Contents
Summary
Excellent opportunity to join a company established in 2002, the Reflex Group is now the largest privately owned print and packaging company in the UK. You will work alongside experienced skilled printers looking to share their knowledge with you to set you up for a career in print which would be a varied and interesting technical role.
- Annual wage
-
£16,211 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
£311.75 per week. Pay for all employees will be assessed in April each year.
- Training course
- Print technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 09.00 to 17.00 including a 30-minute break.
37 hours a week
- Possible start date
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Monday 9 December
- Duration
-
2 years 9 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.
What you’ll do at work
Following several weeks gaining an overview of all of the business processes associated with pressure sensitive label conversion and supply, the Apprentice will focus on the printing process. In a typical week, the apprentice would be exposed to following, by way of shadowing and supporting a qualified press operative:
- Ensuring a safe manufacturing environment
- Preparing materials for print: substrate, inks & other chemicals
- Making the press ready for print
- Signing off the print as ready for run-on
- Monitoring the quality of print during manufacture
- Quality management processes
- Post print activity (wash-up, decommissioning of plates, screens etc.)
Where you’ll work
North End Business Park, Station Road
Swineshead
Boston
PE20 3PW
Training
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
College or training organisation
BPIF TRAINING LIMITED
Your training course
Print technician (level 3)
Equal to A level
Course contents
- Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards for example, segregating resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Apply health and safety and manual handling procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Plan and prioritise work
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic for example, work sheets, check lists, handover records, job sheets.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Communicate with others verbally including colleagues or stakeholders.
- Communicate in writing.
- Apply problem-solving techniques to common problems.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Apply team working principles.
- Convert customer files to print-ready files using software and workflow packages.
- Check, process and transmit digital files using software.
- Create and edit digital images.
- Conversion of digital files into colour separations for the defined production method.
- Apply digital techniques to produce a proof.
- Apply colour profiles to the design.
- Apply production techniques to produce plates, screens, or output files.
- Apply pre-press quality assurance procedures.
- Set up and check the multi-unit print press, including speeds, inks and toners and pre-printing quality checks.
- Follow print press start up or warm up procedures.
- Apply print press operations and techniques, including managing colour. Handle variable data on digital presses.
- Follow quality control processes during printing, including checking for colour matching, print resolution, product consistency.
- Apply press equipment and machinery maintenance techniques including cleaning and servicing.
- Follow machine shut down, safe isolation, hand over procedures. Escalate issues.
- Apply press quality assurance procedures.
- Apply safe systems of work to the printing press process in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidelines. This should include identifying risks and hazards and the handling and disposal of chemicals.
- Set up finishing equipment for example, guillotines, stitching-trimming machinery, binding machinery, laminating equipment, die-cutters.
- Operate finishing equipment to apply different finishing processes, for example, varnishing, folding, embossing and debossing, foil blocking, scoring, packing, gluing, match and attach, tab and slot, sorting, banding.
- Prepare printing for next stage, including packing and wrapping.
- Apply post-press equipment maintenance techniques including cleaning and servicing.
- Apply post-press quality assurance procedures such as checking for folding accuracy, stitch alignment, foil position.
- Apply safe systems of work to the finishing process in compliance with regulations, standards and guidelines, including the handling and disposal of chemicals.
- Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards for example, segregating resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Apply health and safety and manual handling procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Plan and prioritise work
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic for example, work sheets, check lists, handover records, job sheets.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Communicate with others verbally including colleagues or stakeholders.
- Communicate in writing.
- Apply problem-solving techniques to common problems.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Apply team working principles.
Your training plan
- The qualification is the Print Technician Level 3 course, which is completed over 33 months
- You will be based at the Reflex Labels site at Boston where all your training will take place supported by BPIF Training. You will be an addition to the team, so you will be able to do your training and learn from the existing employees, without the pressure of having “day job work” to do as well
- You will be assigned a BPIF training coordinator who will work with you throughout your apprenticeship to ensure that you have the best training and support available
- As we produce labels and packaging for food and pharmaceutical products, there are hygiene and health and safety procedures to adhere to, for which you will receive full training
- Candidates without the required level of maths and English will complete Functional Skills qualifications as part of the apprenticeship programme
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE or equivalent in:
- English (grade 4/C or equivalent)
- Maths (grade 4/C or equivalent)
Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
- Positive attitude
- Eager to learn
- Motivated
About this company
Established in 2002, the Reflex Group is now the largest privately owned print and packaging company in the UK having grown to over 900 employees operating globally. The company prides itself on quality, efficiency, ethics and low environmental impact whilst being innovative and dynamic. The Boston Reflex site operates as its own business and has a great team environment, however being part of the wider Reflex Group offers further job security and benefits. Reflex has sites in the UK, Norway, Poland, Ireland, Sweden, and Australia.
After this apprenticeship
- After completing the apprenticeship, you would be qualified to take up a skilled position in any of our printing sites
- This is a long-term career prospect that could also lead to production supervisor or management positions or using the skilled print knowledge to move into a technician support role within the industry
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BPIF TRAINING LIMITED
Lucy Kirkbride
lucy.kirkbride@bpif.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000252411.
Apply now
Closes in 16 days (Monday 2 December at 11:59pm)
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