Auckland printer Logick Print put on a special lunch this week to celebrate the achievements of apprentice Kieran Dale and to recognise the hard work of everyone who has supported him.
Kieran, 22, heads to Japan in November to represent New Zealand as part of the 'Tool Blacks' team in the World Skills Competition. He earned his place after beating out other apprentices from around the country to win the gold medal in the SkillEX sheetfed printing competition.
PrintNZ's Grant Letfus will travel with Kieran to Japan as a mentor and as New Zealand's judging representative on the panel.
Prior to joining Logick, Kieran worked as a supervisor in a logistics firm, but when he decided to get a trade, he took the opportunity to join long-time family friend Dave Gick at Logick Print.
"I've had really good support from Dave and Logick Print and it's really rewarding to get this sort of recognition. I had high hopes when I first entered SkillEX, but to get the gold medal and represent New Zealand is great."
Logick Print's Dave Gick said that Kieran had been a model apprentice: "We had him running a job on his first day with us and he quickly developed into an integral part of our company."
Last year was the first time that printing had been represented in the SkillEx competition, thanks to the support of PrintNZ Training, BJ Ball and Trust 4 Skills.
