Apprentice Print Technician
THE LABEL CENTRE LTD
Dudley (DY2 9PH)
Closes on Friday 26 September 2025
Posted on 22 August 2025
Contents
Summary
Excellent opportunity working for an established label printing company based in Netherton, West Midlands, manufacturing for industries including automotive, equipment hire, pharmaceutical, sales & service, arts & entertainment, warehouse & distribution. You will work across a range of departments, learning different techniques and technologies.
- Wage
-
£14,722.50 to £23,809.50, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Death in service insurance policy Auto Enrolment pension
- Training course
- Print technician (level 3)
- Hours
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Mon-Fri 8 am-4 pm or 9 am-5 pm (1/2 hour lunch).
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
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Monday 29 September 2025
- Duration
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2 years 6 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
You will be working across a range of departments with different print technologies, including flexographic, hot stamp foil, digital inkjet and thermal transfer.
You will be involved with producing a wide range of labels, including asset labels, security labels, warehouse labels, barcode labels, cable labels and packaging labels.
You will learn to operate multiple machines, including Focus rotary machines, Newfoil hot foil machines and Roland digital printers.
The digital departments use multiple software programmes such as Adobe, Versaworks and Colorgate.
Over the course of the apprenticeship, the candidate will spend time learning all our print methods. They will spend time in each department, initially shadowing a member of the production team and then getting hands-on printing labels. Full training will be provided. As well as printing, there will also be tasks such as finishing and packing. Examples of specific tasks are as follows:
- Set up cutters and print stations according to a job sheet specification
- Colour matching and quality checking samples
- Keeping a check on job progress, checking continuous quality and ink levels
- Hand finishing labels into sheets
- Rewinding labels into small rolls
- Packing jobs ready for dispatch
- Machine maintenance
- Operate plotter tables
- Troubleshooting and problem solving
- Laminating material constructions
- Completing product specification sheets and updating the company database
- Stock control of materials and inks
- Liaising with the office via email/telephone
Where you'll work
Town Works
Washington Street Industrial Estate, Washington Street
Dudley
DY2 9PH
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BPIF TRAINING LIMITED
Training course
Print technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards for example, segregating resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Apply health and safety and manual handling procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Plan and prioritise work
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic for example, work sheets, check lists, handover records, job sheets.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Communicate with others verbally including colleagues or stakeholders.
- Communicate in writing.
- Apply problem-solving techniques to common problems.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Apply team working principles.
- Convert customer files to print-ready files using software and workflow packages.
- Check, process and transmit digital files using software.
- Create and edit digital images.
- Conversion of digital files into colour separations for the defined production method.
- Apply digital techniques to produce a proof.
- Apply colour profiles to the design.
- Apply production techniques to produce plates, screens, or output files.
- Apply pre-press quality assurance procedures.
- Set up and check the multi-unit print press, including speeds, inks and toners and pre-printing quality checks.
- Follow print press start up or warm up procedures.
- Apply print press operations and techniques, including managing colour. Handle variable data on digital presses.
- Follow quality control processes during printing, including checking for colour matching, print resolution, product consistency.
- Apply press equipment and machinery maintenance techniques including cleaning and servicing.
- Follow machine shut down, safe isolation, hand over procedures. Escalate issues.
- Apply press quality assurance procedures.
- Apply safe systems of work to the printing press process in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidelines. This should include identifying risks and hazards and the handling and disposal of chemicals.
- Set up finishing equipment for example, guillotines, stitching-trimming machinery, binding machinery, laminating equipment, die-cutters.
- Operate finishing equipment to apply different finishing processes, for example, varnishing, folding, embossing and debossing, foil blocking, scoring, packing, gluing, match and attach, tab and slot, sorting, banding.
- Prepare printing for next stage, including packing and wrapping.
- Apply post-press equipment maintenance techniques including cleaning and servicing.
- Apply post-press quality assurance procedures such as checking for folding accuracy, stitch alignment, foil position.
- Apply safe systems of work to the finishing process in compliance with regulations, standards and guidelines, including the handling and disposal of chemicals.
- Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards for example, segregating resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Apply health and safety and manual handling procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Plan and prioritise work
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic for example, work sheets, check lists, handover records, job sheets.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Communicate with others verbally including colleagues or stakeholders.
- Communicate in writing.
- Apply problem-solving techniques to common problems.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Apply team working principles.
Training schedule
Full training will be provided in-house alongside a Level 3 Print Technician qualification delivered by BPIF Training, which will take place via a mixture of on-site and online sessions.
Candidate may be required to attend external training courses as and when required.
Health & Safety training in house
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Maths (grade 4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
Other requirements
This role will involve learning various printing methods, it requires someone who is very keen to learn and be confident to ask questions to really understand each process.
About this employer
A label manufacturing company based in Netherton, West Midlands established in 1999 specialising in the production of flexo and digitally printed labels & tags for an array of sectors including warehouse and distribution, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and sales & service. We currently have 11 production staff, 1 store man and 9 office staff.
After this apprenticeship
Upon completion of the apprenticeship there will be a full-time role working as a print technician.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BPIF TRAINING LIMITED
Yasmin Brotherson
yasmin.brotherson@bpif.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000338490.
Apply now
Closes on Friday 26 September 2025
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