A Bath businessman who has built his company on training young workers has joined the city's new Apprenticeship Awards.
Printing specialists Digiprint, on Lower Borough Walls, is the latest company to sponsor The Bath Chronicle Apprenticeship Awards.
The firm, which has shops in Bath, Trowbridge and Chippenham, is sponsoring the top accolade of Bath Apprentice of the Year, which will be chosen from the entries in the five industry specific categories for Outstanding Apprentice of the Year.
Director of the Digiprint Group, Ben Gregory, said when he was starting out design and creative apprenticeships did not exist so he had to complete night courses and unpaid work experience to get the training he needed.
When he launched the company more than ten years ago he decided to fill the void that he had experienced.
He said: "I had realised the importance of being able to offer quality training and opportunities to young enthusiastic people who have a great enthusiasm for the job and take pride in their work.
"There were no real options for the industry available in Bath, so I managed to find a design support apprentice programme that had just launched in Wiltshire College and set about creating and developing our own apprentice program with them.
"Digiprint currently has five active apprentices covering the design process, signage production, print production and department management. Our first sign apprentice Lee Byway, who qualified with a distinction at level 3 NVQ late last year, is now training to be a department manager with Digiprint full time."
The Bath Chronicle Apprenticeship Awards 2013, supported by headline sponsors HIT Training, has 12 awards up for grabs to businesses and young workers in the city.
Categories include Employer of the Year, separated into small, medium and large companies, five Outstanding Apprentice of the Year awards and a top accolade of Bath Apprentice of the Year.
The winners will be announced at an awards evening at Bath Racecourse on July 4. To enter go to www.thisisbath. co.uk/apprenticeshipawards.
The deadline is May 11.
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