Matthew Lowe swings ahead as SWUG apprentice

24-year-old Matthew Lowe from Bay of Plenty newspaper, the Whakatane Beacon named SWUG’s Apprentice for the Year for 2010/11.

Lowe’s prize includes a visit to the Australian SWUG conference in Hobart, where he will visit the Herald & Weekly Times print site and Age Print Centre in Melbourne, as well as the DS Chemport plant, en route for Tasmania.
 
His success completes a journey of discovery that began when he left school seven years ago and has led to him completing an apprenticeship eight months ahead of schedule. He was home schooled in Opotiki but had no formal qualifications when he went looking for work.
 
“I started work straight from school in 2004. Without qualifications I was pleased to get a job in newspapers working in graphic arts. I picked up a lot of knowledge just working on the job, but it was when the Beacon offered me an apprenticeship in 2007 that I really began to appreciate how much I still had to learn,” said Lowe (pictured).
 
From there, Lowe completed an apprenticeship in digital print process (prepress) in December, eight months ahead of the allocated time, with outstanding results of excellence in all but one of his 11 assignments and portfolios.
 
Brian Cornes, general manager of Beacon Print, recommended his nomination for the SWUG Apprentice for the Year. “Having been Matt’s manager up until last August I know the hard work he puts in to his career on a daily basis. Every bit of work is of the highest quality possible and always ahead of time. He is reliable and honest and a great team member,” he said.
 
“We are a small independent printing firm that doesn’t get the opportunity to visit the more technologically-advanced sites that this award offers. With the interest that Matt has shown for the industry, this would be a chance of a lifetime for him.”