TRAINING AWARDS

Training Award winners show industry has a strong future

Strong work cultures are proving fertile grounds for successful training.

PrintNZ announced the Trainer of the Year, Training Company of the Year and the Apprentice of the Year at the Pride In Print Awards.

Blue Star operations manager Mandy Nilsson took out the PrintNZ Trainer of the Year 2022; PSI Brand is the PrintNZ Training Company the Year 2022; and Kosema Fuiono is the BJ Ball Papers Apprentice of the Year.

Nilsson admitted to feeling surprised with the announcement. She said, “There is so much experience within the industry so I felt very grateful for the nomination.

“I have worked in the industry for nearly 30 years and I haven’t been a finalist or won an award before. Blue Star gave me an opportunity to work with apprentices and manage the apprenticeship programme at the Blue Star Constellation site which has allowed me to be put forward for the Trainer of the Year achievement.”

Mandy Nilsson, PrintNZ Trainer of the Year 2022 Mandy Nilsson

She aims to bring an open approach to learning and to be able to provide a learning platform from her experience. She said, “I enjoy seeing how the apprentices grow throughout their programme and that they are just as proud of their achievements as I am of them.”

Nana Southall, one of five finalists for the BJ Ball Papers Apprentice of the Year, impressed Nilsson, who added, “I would like to thank Nana for being such a wonderful trainee. It really has been a pleasure to work with a person that has such a desire to succeed.”

She also acknowledged how Blue Star Collard has provided a strong culture for training and providing opportunities for employees. She says, “There is nothing better than seeing a person grow and advance in their career whilst providing support, offering guidance and experience. Blue Star Constellation is supportive with all of their employees and it shows with how great our employee retention is.

“Blue Star has been a wonderful support throughout my career and I thank them for giving me this opportunity.”

Encouraging apprenticeships

PSI Brand general manager Jim Crawshaw felt “surprised and humbled” at his company winning the Training Company of the Year.

He said, “We have been encouraging apprenticeships for over five years now

as part of our ongoing team and company development. We believe you never stop learning and if you think you’ve made it, you are probably going backwards. World-class teams never stop training.

“Henry Ford said, ‘The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay’. We believe staff members are your number one asset, so it makes sense to invest in them.

“Another memorable quote is from Richard Branson, who said: ‘If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It’s that simple.’ Cool quotes, but do we live by them?”

Son of a Gunn

During the Pride In Print Awards, ACI Screen & Print was named runner-up in the 2022 Training Company of the Year and Phil Norvill, from ACI Screen & Print, was named runner-up in the 2022 Trainer of the Year.

Broadcasting legend Jason Gunn awards a bottle of champagne to Phil Norvill, from ACI

After consulting with organisers, Pride In Print Awards co-emcee Jason Gunn went from the stage to the audience to award Phil Norvill his own award for his efforts: a bottle of Champagne. Coming from Jason Gunn, it was a priceless moment that really captured the spirit of the evening.

Top apprentice

Blue Star Collard (Auckland) printer Kosema Fuiono became the BJ Ball Papers Apprentice of the Year at the Pride In Print Awards.

As the Heidelberg Offset Apprentice of the Year, he vied with four other worthy finalists to claim the title at the Pride In Print Awards gala dinner that took place at Te Pae in Christchurch. On the night, he charmed the Pride In Print Awards audience with a humble, generous and humorous speech, in which he described the “impossible becoming the possible”.

Impossible becomes possible: Kosema Fuiono, BJ Ball Papers Apprentice of the Year

After paying glowing tribute to his fellow finalists and their employers, he warmly thanked his own employers and fellow team members. He said, “I believe I am receiving this award on behalf of the very positive and supportive team of Blue Star Collard and the whole of Blue Star in Auckland and New Zealand.

“Thank you for the opportunity you have given me to extend my learning. I feel blessed to be working with people that have been doing this job their whole life, some 40-plus years, and I am there every day, asking questions.

“Thank you, I am very blessed.”

Sharing the credit

Interviewed off stage, he said, “It is a very big achievement for me, from where I have started and how far I have come. I am really proud and happy and it is a story I want to tell my kids, that if you want something then you are going to have to work hard for it.

“I don’t like to take any ‘all me’ credit, I like to pay thanks to those who have helped me to train. Without them giving me the knowledge, I wouldn’t be here today.”

He felt blown away by the faith shown in him, including being entrusted to operate a multi-million-dollar press only months into his apprenticeship. He said, “I guess they just liked the attitude that I brought, that I never shy away from a challenge that they give me. I just give it a try.”

While currently operating both a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 and Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, he happily helps out the staff in other departments with the likes of die-cutting and foiling when needed. He added, “I quite like it because it gives me different things to do and a different challenge every day.”

Having studied to 3am on the morning of being named Apprentice of the Year on the first assignment of an external management course, he said, “I would like to continue working where I am and to keep on learning. If there is any chance of moving into management here, I would really like to take it.”

Generosity of spirit

His trainer, Blue Star Collard operations manager Allen Masterson, paid tribute to the other finalists and said Fuiono “totally deserved” the honour. Masterson said, “He proved himself by starting as a print assistant with us with one of the toughest guys to work with and, even without any training, Sema impressed that guy so much.

“He has the ability to pick up quite technical processes quickly and has actually been the lead printer on a five-colour press for at least half of his apprenticeship.”

From left: Linden Horverd, PrintNZ membership co-ordinator; Niue Vaimoli, PSI Brand apprentice; Jim Crawshaw general manager PSI Brand

He also remarked on Fuiono’s generosity of spirit. He said, “Sema mucks in for the team and is extremely diligent. We describe him as a superstar. We’ve had apprentices that don’t see it as a vocation but Sema, right from the beginning, said ‘I want a job where I have a future, where I can do something for my family’. He has pretty much grabbed it with two hands and run with it.

“From my perspective, being called a ‘trainer’, I’m almost embarrassed because he’s the sponge that sucks up everything.”

Masterson emphasised the need for the print industry to continue committing to such apprentices. He added “Sema and people like the other finalists are the future of the industry. And as I said to Sema, ‘Where you go from here is really up to you’. For our company, it is really great to have someone you can invest that time and effort into.”

Integrity shines through

Ruth Cobb, chief executive at PrintNZ, said even though all five finalists could have taken out the title “with integrity”, Fuiono nonetheless was the standout.

She said, “He is a really hard worker, is committed to the business, has a really sound understanding of the print trade overall from having worked in other departments, and he has clear plans as to where he wants to go.

“He always had his books ready for Competenz/Te Pūkenga training advisor Grant Alsop; he always wanted more. An impressive thing he said was: ‘On a bad day at work, I learn the most’. So, when things don’t go right, he figures it all out.”

She noted that he had excelled despite the significant challenges of emigrating to New Zealand as a 12-year-old unable to speak English and then becoming the family’s main breadwinner and helping raise his siblings at 15 when his father was taken ill.

Apprentices show true grit

Ruth Cobb commented on how the industry’s apprentices have all completed the hardest two years of their apprenticeship amidst the disruption of Covid-19. She said, “It is a testament to them that their talent has shone through. They have fully illustrated their individual skills and personalities, while navigating a variety of obstacles thrown up by the pandemic.

“That is huge credit to them individually, as well as to their employers and managers for providing much-needed support throughout – particularly when business pressures will have already been heightened, given current circumstances.”

The five top apprentices line up with their managers for the announcement

Despite undertaking the two toughest years of their apprenticeships under the umbrella of Covid-19, many apprentices stayed ahead of the game and completed their assignments early. Competenz training advisors – Malcolm Pearce, Steven Jack and Grant Alsop – remarked on the apprentices’ dedication and commitment to quality.

The other four finalists for the BJ Ball Papers Apprentice of the Year were:

• PrintNZ Screen Print Apprentice of the Year – Liam Blom, ACI Screen & Print (Auckland)

• BJ Ball Packaging Apprentice of the Year – Frey Head, Oji Fibre Solutions Paper Bag (Auckland)

• Trust4Skills Reelfed Apprentice of the Year – John Reddy, Philstic Labels (Auckland)

• GAPF Digital Apprentice of the Year – Nana Southall, Blue Star Constellation (Auckland)

Finally, the industry thanks the ongoing support of principal sponsor, BJ Ball Papers, which has provided steadfast support for the Apprentice of the Year Awards over many years. Alongside Heidelberg and Trust4Skills, they enable us to celebrate the amazing talent in the industry.