Print Finishing Apprenticeship
APS Group Ltd
Cheshire (SK3 0ZP)
Closes in 5 days (Wednesday 30 April 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 27 March 2025
Contents
Summary
We are looking to recruit an apprentice on a 3-year program to support the finishing area of our large production department. You will work to your own initiative as part of a large and busy team. Working to customer specifications, you will develop full understanding of standard finishing practices and be supported throughout your development.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
- Training course
- Print technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
40-hours per week. The successful candidate will work a triple shift pattern, alternating between 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm and 10pm-6am. Working days TBC
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Thursday 1 May 2025
- Duration
-
2 years 6 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you’ll do at work
Following completion of our program you will be expected to be fully competent within the following responsibilities:
- Maintaining Health and Safety within the working environment
- Contribution to Improve effectiveness of the print organisation
- Planning work to meet work load requirements
- Full understanding of print industry
- Ability to maintain print equipment in working order
- Ability to operate folding machinery
- Able to set and run booklet making machinery
- Operation of setting/stitching/trimming machinery
- Ability to operate Guillotines
- Work to specific scheduled workload in an effective manner
- Make the relevant equipment ready to job specification
- Able to identify and approve jobs ensuring the specification is matched
- Run various jobs whilst managing assistants
Where you’ll work
Chetham House
Bird Hall Lane
Stockport
Cheshire
SK3 0ZP
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
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
Print Technician Level 3.
You will be given the full support by our apprentice provider, the British Printing Industry Federation (BPIF), together with extensive in-house training to set you on the path to a successful career within the Print Industry.
Throughout your time as an apprentice, you will be supported by both APS and BPIF Training. You will be assigned a dedicated BPIF training coordinator who will work with you and your employer for the duration of programme to ensure that you have the best tailored training available.
More training information
BPIF Training Limited are industry specialists, providing apprenticeship training that meets the needs of a 21st century printing and packaging industry. Our training coordinators are all industry experienced and deliver workplace based training.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Maths (grade 4)
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
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
About this company
Since 1961 we’ve been all about working with great people to make more possible for our clients. You’d be joining a family of over 900, so you’ll never be stuck for advice, expertise and networking opportunities. Together we lead the way in marketing and communications. Whether we’re producing exciting creative for advertising or managing a client’s entire print spend, we’ve got pretty much everything covered.
After this apprenticeship
Following training, it is expected that the successful candidate will become competent in the skills required of a print finishing operator.
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 VAC1000312206.
Apply now
Closes in 5 days (Wednesday 30 April 2025 at 11:59pm)
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