President’s Corner – March

Who would have thought that Easter is almost upon us. It seems like only yesterday we were returning to the office from summer break. I have a big birthday event later this year, and the speed that the year seems to be passing takes me closer to this milestone birthday number faster than I would like.

We had an interesting meeting with Competenz recently, looking at the apprenticeship numbers for our industry, as compared to the printing and packaging industries. Our line of work being the smallest group out of the three. The new enrolments of apprentices last year, and so far, this year, have matched the apprenticeship numbers that the print industry is enrolling in, which is exciting for the future of our small industry! So far this year, 24% have been female enrolments, which follows on from a percentage of 25% in 2023, 34% in 2022, and 22% in 2021. These percentages are all up from around the 20% mark from 2016, and it would be fantastic to see these percentages increase further.

Another interesting set of numbers is the age that people are when starting an apprenticeship, with the newest apprenticeships being 21-24, with 25-29 not far behind. People between 30 and 39 also make up a large percentage, which goes to show it is never too late to learn new skills. They have even had new apprentices starting between 60 and 69.

Competenz have expressed an interest in being more involved in our industry, becoming a sponsor for our Conference in Napier this June, attending conference, and working in with us to ensure the process of taking on an apprentice is as easy as possible. This all bodes well for the future of our industry.

For a challenging and creative industry like ours, it is so important to ensure we are fully involved in training our future workforce. I would like to say a huge thank you to every business that has made the decision to commit the time and energy to training new people, and of course to all the people that have made the commitment to Signmaking. You just cannot beat the feeling of seeing your work all over your town, and in some cases, all over the country.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a great Easter, and don’t eat too much chocolate.

Until next time,

Shae Goom
Managing Director, Wise Studio