Angelo Takes Apprentice of the Year Award

Angelo Takes Apprentice of the Year Award

Angelo Gedult, of APN Print Ellerslie, was presented with the PrintNZ Apprentice of the Year Award in front of a crowd of nearly 700 at Sky City Auckland tonight (subs: Friday) after coming through a tough selection process involving over 100 apprentices and trainees.

Angelo represented the reel fed sector and was selected after the initial list of candidates had been narrowed down to seven, representing different sectors of the print industry, all of whom had completed their training in 2009.

Among his portfolio was a copy of the Herald on Sunday which won the Newspaper of the Year Award at the recent Qantas Media Awards.

After receiving the award an emotional Angelo said he could not believe he had achieved such an honour – “I came from South Africa to New Zealand and didn’t expect ever to come so far. I feel so much for the print industry, and I want to give back to it. This makes me more determined to do so.”

Angelo said he had always had an interest in printing – “I started out by applying for a guillotine apprenticeship. My skills were quickly recognised and I was offered a printing apprenticeship. The greatest challenge for me was switching over from sheet fed to a reel fed apprenticeship. I had to transfer the necessary skills, while adapting to a new form of printing.”

During his training he completed his apprenticeship in two and a half years, achieving 100% for both Level 2 and Level 4 and also starting the Print Management Diploma.

Asked about the things he enjoyed most about his job, he said he mainly looked forward to seeing the final printed product. He plans to stay in the industry.

“My goals are to complete my Print Management Diploma to gain skills that will set me up for future management opportunities,” he said.

Outside of work, his main interests are swimming, walking and weightlifting, plus volunteer work for the Red Cross, and spending time with his wife and family.

PrintNZ Training chief executive Joan Grace said that picking the winners was very tough due to the high calibre of the finalists.

“In the end, what decided it was a mix of Angelo’s knowledge of technical skills, and his understanding of the role he has in a team of people who produce the newspapers every day. He has a genuine nature – he is confident but also very humble.

“He was able to articulate some goals for his future and the steps that he’s going to take to get to those goals. I think that is a real gem with the apprentices – people who are able to look forward, identify means to get there and make it happen.

“He talked quite a lot about training and training others … ‘what the industry gives you, you have to give back to the industry’ … I think that is a very good quote in terms of somebody who has been given a lot through his work at APN Print, but also now wants to ask ‘what can I do?’”

Mrs Grace said the sectors of the industry are all unique and judges were dealing with the top of the top when interviewing these apprentices.

“The winners are spread across the branches – last year it was a screen printer, this year it is a reel fed printer – but in both cases they are champions in terms of being the future of our industry.

“It is always hard. I sat there with two other judges – one from the PrintNZ Training Board who has done it before, the other a Pride In Print Awards Patron who has never done it before – and a number of times it was said ‘I’m blown away by the standard of these apprentices, it is great to see our industry in such good hands’.”

The finalists were treated to a breakfast at Sky City attended by Thomas Ben, the winner of TV’s “The Apprentice” programme.

The Apprentice of the Year Award is sponsored by Spicers Paper, Fuji Xerox, Heidelberg, Hostmann Steinberg NZ and Aarque Graphics.

The full list of winners is:

Binding and Finishing Award: Daniel Burns, Rainbow Print Group, Christchurch (Sponsored by the Print Finishers’ Association)

Digital Processes for Print Award: Rebecca Fraser, Otago Daily Times Print, Alexandra (Sponsored by Natcoll Design Technology)

Fibreboard Packaging Award: Jason Sim, Amcor Cartons Australasia, Christchurch (Sponsored by the NZ Paperboard Packaging Association)

Screen Award: Cory Pollard, John Colours (1998) Ltd, Dunedin (Sponsored by Blue Print Imaging Ltd)

Sheet-fed Award: Mitchell Tomai, Logick Print & Graphics Ltd, Auckland (Sponsored by PrintNZ)

Reel-fed Award: Angelo Gedult, APN Print Ellerslie, Auckland (Sponsored by the Newspaper Publishers’ Association)

National Certificate Trainee Award: Arvin San Victores, Amcor Kiwi Packaging Case Division, Auckland ((Sponsored by the EPMU union)

ENDS

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