INES Hiu Wai Law of Renfrew-based Spirit Labels Ltd has been crowned Print Scotland’s Overall Apprentice of the Year at the tenth annual Scottish Print Apprentice of the Year awards.
Ines, Hong Kong-born and raised in Glasgow from the age of eight, graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2022 with a masters of engineering in product design engineering. She is in the final stage of her two-year apprenticeship.
Ines joined Spirit Labels with no prior print experience, quickly immersing herself in the technical and design aspects of the craft. Her employer, Laura Roy, praised her as ‘exceptional’ and ‘remarkable’, noting that Ines has become a go-to person for many tasks despite being an apprentice.
Print Scotland said her win underscores the potential of young talent in shaping the industry’s future, as president Susan Graham urged aspiring young people to consider a career in the print sector.
Susan Graham said, “Ines has demonstrated that print is still here, present in all our lives. It is a renewable resource, it is tactile and people, across the globe, continue to use it every day, not just to inform and entertain themselves, but also to organise their lives. We need to grow our own to manage our own success.”
Ines Hiu Wai Law added, “I’m very honoured to be recognised for my work with Spirit Labels Ltd and to have had the opportunity to design and produce a lot of in-house branding and labelling using Adobe software. Seeing my work through from inception to print and in then put in place by our customers makes me feel very proud.
“There are lots of technological developments coming through in the print industry and it is an exciting time to be here. My aim is to continue developing my skills while loving the practical element of assignment work I get to undertake which is much more satisfying that the theoretical element you learn at uni.”
Jim McKenzie, Print Scotland’s training officer, called Ines ‘a standout and one of the best apprentices we have ever had. Her success also highlights a positive trend of more women entering the sector, with Spirit Labels Ltd currently employing four women’.
Other winners included Press Apprentice of the Year Aidan Rogan from CCL Design of East Kilbride, who chose to enter the print industry after two years working as plumbing apprentice. He said, “I enjoy what I do now much more since my role lets me work every day from my computer keyboard.”
The Post Press Apprentice award winner was Logan Van Beuge, who works at Glasgow-based Push Print, while the Pre-Press Apprentice of the Year accolade went to Riley MacRae Duffy, from CX Services, Dunoon.
Mentor of the Year winner was CCL Design’s Steven McKnight, who has 20 years’ experience in digital print. He said, “I greatly enjoy my mentoring role. Aidan has the right attitude and really enjoys his work; digital operations really appeal to the younger generation.”
Garry Richmond, director of Print Scotland, commented, “With this new stream of print apprentices present today we can be cautiously optimistic about the future of our industry. The print sector has significantly enhanced its support for apprentices in recent years and is definitely seeing the benefit of this forward-looking approach for employers and individuals.
“We urge the Scottish Government and its agencies to reinforce our success by continuing to invest significantly to allow us to create more opportunities for our young people.
“I would like to thank our sponsors: Antalis, Muller Martini, CCL Design and EBB who have made this Award ceremony the success it has been.”
