Vince Brearey was an apprentice machine minder so understands both the appeal the print can have and the challenges of getting youngsters to see it. He is also proof that an extended education is not always necessary to rise to the top and to acquiring a ridiculous car.
He knows though that print has to work hard to attract the young. Offset Print & Packaging has six apprentices among the 101 strong staff. They are in all parts of the business including print production, finishing sales and customer service. It is something that OP&P works at, forging links with local schools and participating in an apprentice event in Mote Park in nearby Maidstone.
The business also has a strong connection to local MP Tracey Crouch and, through her, to other MPs in the area. It’s about making OP&P’s voice heard across the community and putting the business on the map so that when youngsters are looking, there is a chance they or their careers’ advisors will have heard of the company.
“We need to make this industry more attractive to the younger generation,” Brearey says. “I know there can be rewards because I came in as an apprentice locally.”
From that start, he spent eight months as a minder at OP&P before moving on to Nampak in Gillingham and then returning to Aylesford in a management role, becoming joint managing director in 2016.
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