A talented Adare SEC apprentice took a trip to the House of Lords to receive a prestigious print award at a special ceremony.
Lauren Powell, aged 18, has been working towards her Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service, and earlier last month, travelled to London to have an interview and present her print design coursework to a panel of industry judges for The Printing Charity’s annual Print Futures Awards.
The Adare SEC Customer Services apprentice was ecstatic when she received confirmation she had won a 2018 Print Futures Award to help pay for courses, software and equipment to help expand her experience in the print industry.
“I didn’t even think I’d get past the application stage, so the award came as a big surprise. I don’t believe I could have done it without the encouragement and support I receive from my team,” said Lauren who has worked at Adare SEC’s Redditch Secure Solutions site since November 2017.
“I feel like I’ve already started to grow with Adare SEC, so this award is a huge boost for my confidence. It is definitely going to help me further my career within the printing industry. I have already chosen to go on two different courses so it’s already benefitting my career.”
Marie Ganderton, Head of Customer Services at Adare SEC in Redditch, added: “We are very proud of Lauren. She has worked tirelessly since she joined us in November, is now a major support on the team and has a workload comparable to a full-time employee.
“She really is one to look out for in the future and deserves our praise and support to continue to achieve.”
Lauren, who was nominated for the award by her BPIF training co-ordinator Steve Powers, has high hopes for her print career following the major, national accolade she received in July.
“I would love to use everything I’ve already learnt in technology and design with Adare SEC to eventually grow my own business and further that into a company or franchise,” added the talented teenager.
Speaking about why Lauren was chosen for the grant, The Printing Charity CEO, Neil Lovell, said: “Lauren impressed us with her focus and determination. We are delighted that she has won this award and is also one of the youngest winners this year.
“It gives us all hope that the sector is reaching a new generation. We are looking forward to hearing how Lauren’s career develops and, if this award helps toward her goals, then we couldn’t ask for more than that.”
The annual Print Futures Awards run by The Printing Charity are open to UK residents aged 18-30 to help fund recognised UK training courses in support of personal and skills development for careers in the printing, paper, packaging, publishing and graphic arts industries.
Adare SEC has premises in Huddersfield, Redditch, Nottingham and Guildford.
