Local Students See Proof of Career Opportunities in Printing at AHP

Groups of students from a local school have been finding out more about a career in printing thanks to Ancient House Press and its participation in a national initiative called PrintIT! to promote the industry to young people.

Two groups of Year 11 pupils from Leiston High School visited the Ipswich-based company on the recently to learn about the different processes involved in printing - from receiving customer files through to platemaking, printing and finishing.

The party also saw at first hand some of the work carried out by Ancient House’s young people, demonstrating the range of jobs available to those wishing to enter the industry. The company offers training to a number of youngsters in a whole range of disciplines through the NVQ programme. Two trainees are currently undergoing an intensive programme on working the stitching lines, which has included one-to-one sessions with a stitching specialist from the Netherlands.

Paul Sadler, AHP Operations Director said: “We were delighted to welcome the groups of students from Leiston High, as part of our support for the PrintIT! Campaign. Currently the average age of workers in the print industry is 48 years which means there is a skills gap resulting from under-funding. The decline of the industry locally has also meant that students are not aware of the opportunities printing can offer in career terms. PrintIT! Is an excellent idea, aiming to raise the profile of the industry and particularly to girls as it has now become rather male-dominated”.

PrintIT! Is a joint venture between the printing industry, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and leading charity The Fairtrade Foundation. More than 1,000 schools and in excess of 50,000 students have taken part in PrintIT! to date.

Ancient House Press employs 105 people and has a prestigious customer portfolio ranging from Government departments to large household names. Last year it installed a new £2m Mitsubishi Diamond 3000 Tandem Perfector 12 colour press and achieved both ISO 14001 accreditation and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody certification.