MCC's West is Heidelberg-LIA QLD Graduate of Year

By Wayne Robinson | 30 July 2021

The finalists who will represent Queensland in the Visual Connections-Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA) National Scholarship Biennial Awards were revealed at the Queensland Printing Industry Creativity Awards in Brisbane.

*Joshua West (r) with employer Ashley Bennett, Multi-Color Corporation*

Ashleigh Jones, who did her digital print apprenticeship with Digital Synergy in Brisbane, was named as the 2020 Graduate of the Year for Queensland, while Joshua West from Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), who completed indentures as a flexo printer, took out the honours for 2021.

The other finalists in the 2020 competition were Tyler-Jay Schmidt from Gotransit Media Group, and Charlotte Fountain from Kuhn Corporation, while this year’s finalists included Emma Wilson from Buzz Print, Andrew Warboys from Ultra Labels, and Caren Campbell from MCC.

*Finalists: (l-r) Tyler-Jay Schmidt, GoTransit Media Group; Ashleigh Jones - winner - Digital Synergy; and Charlotte Fountain, Kuhn Corp*

“Like many activities, the flow of the association’s apprenticeship support program over the past 12 to 18 months has been impacted by Covid restrictions, but that didn’t dampen the celebrations when the winners were announced at the Queensland PICAs,” said Brendan Pearce, acting Queensland president of the LIA.

Mel Ireland, the LIA’s federal president, agreed, saying the organisation is impressed with all the companies involved in the awards for their ongoing commitment to the future workforce of the industry.

“All these companies have been impacted in some way by the pandemic, but they recognise that the acknowledgement, support and celebration of apprentices through the program continues to play a vital role in securing the future of our industry,” she said. “We are particularly grateful to Heidelberg and Visual Connections for their ongoing sponsorship support during these challenging times.”

The biennial National Graduate of the Year Awards Event, where the winners from each state will vie for up to $10,000 towards further education and training, was to have been held at PacPrint in Melbourne in September.

“With the show postponed, we are now reviewing our plans and will confirm new dates and arrangements for those celebrations in due course,” Ireland concluded.