THE 2010 print industry Apprentice of the Year title has gone to binding and finishing winner Jason Rako from PMP Print in Christchurch
He received the accolade in front of over 500 people at the Pride In Print Awards held in the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington last Friday, holding out five other top apprentices from the digital, packaging, screen/dry offset, sheet-fed and reel-fed printing sectors.
Accepting his award, Rako paid tribute to the other award finalists, his family, PMP Print and even kissed John Campbell, who co-emceed the event with Carol Hirschfeld. Rako says, “People could probably tell from my face I was a bit shocked to win. I just had no idea. Earlier in the night John Campbell had commented that Carol Hirschfeld was getting all the kisses, so that popped into my head when I went up to accept the trophy. It was a fantastic night and I spent the rest of the night networking and meeting people.”
Sponsored by industry suppliers AM International, APM, B&F Papers, BJ Ball Group, Blue Print Imaging, DIC, Fuji Film, Muller Martini, Norske Skog and the Print Finishers Association, the award complemented the Pride In Print night. Charles Miller, sales and marketing manager at PMP Print, says, “This was the highlight of the awards for all of us. There being nothing more rewarding than seeing hard work and excellence recognised in one of the team.”
Wayne Jones, bindery supervisor at PMP Print Christchurch, accompanied Rako for the trip north and says, “Jason is a great worker and is very skilled on all machines, producing very good quality work. He’s always at the ready to learn new skills and equipment.”
Rako has five years experience in the print industry. He says, “I started off in the print industry after completing a diploma in Graphic Design, not knowing much about the print side of the industry. During this diploma I learnt a lot about this industry and wanted to be a part of it. I searched for an apprenticeship in pre-press, printing and print finishing. I just wanted in. My career goal is to learn as much as I can about the print industry and further myself and the company I am working for.”
