Print

The UK print industry has around 12,000 companies, with approximately 160,000 employees working within pre-press, machine printing, post-press and print management. The print industry serves all sectors of the economy and customers range from international companies to the smallest business.

Training can be undertaken within the workplace or at our National Printing Skills Centre, a leading professional training area for the print and graphic communication industry. Our clients include Marks & Spencer, the Ministry of Defence and many more, and over £2.5 million of investment from industry partners including Canon, Xerox and Heidelberg.

Our programmes reflect the needs of the print industry. We can put together bespoke training tailored to your workplace in all areas of the industry, from technical knowledge through to management, planning, and general business skills.

Lighthouse Display employees have completed NVQs at levels 2 and 3 in Screen Printing and Performing Manufacturing Operations with Leicester College and Train to Gain, the Learning and Skills Council's initiative which helps businesses access the training they need to succeed.

Pete Hulbert, Development Manager for Lighthouse Display International, said:

"We decided to give the staff in our screen print department the opportunity to do the NVQs to help address two of our biggest profit killers; rejects and down time. From previous experience I knew that by encouraging staff to complete NVQs it is possible to guarantee a standard level of competence across the team. The NVQs enable staff to develop a greater awareness of internal policies and procedures which they encounter everyday in their job."

"We chose Leicester College to deliver the training because my previous experience with them has been excellent.

"One of the biggest benefits for us as a company is that we now know that we have a standard level of knowledge and competence across the department. The NVQs have reinforced staff knowledge and skills.

"The NVQs also promote self education. As part of the NVQ, staff had to find out how and why we have the processes and procedures we do. I believe that this gives them more confidence as they now understand more about the activities they do as part of their job and this helps them to work more efficiently.

"I believe that the NVQs have also helped to unite the workforce. A number of the staff completed the training together and it has helped them bond as a team whilst working towards a joint goal.

"The NVQs are a great way for employees who have been working in the industry for some time to gain recognition with a qualification which demonstrates their competence in the profession.

"I will continue to use Leicester College for training and would recommend the NVQs as a valuable training opportunity to others."