The print sector
remains one of the country’s
most rewarding industries,
with a wide range of jobs
and career paths. The days
of grimy print works are long
gone as the computer age has
seen print companies offering
services such as graphics,
marketing and web design.
National starting salaries
are usually around £8,000
- £14,000 with team
leaders (sales reps to graphic
designers) earning up to £16,000
- £35,000. More experienced
and supervisory roles are
within the £16,000 -
£45,000 per year range,
while senior managers, sales
directors, studio managers
and freelance graphic designers
can earn between £25,000
and £70,000*. Based
in London, you should expect
a mark-up of 25-30% - putting
the very basic starting salary
at £10,000**.
*Source:
ProSkills
**Source:
BPIF
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What you will
need:
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Qualifications:
most print companies
train their own
staff but GCSEs
in Graphic Design,
English, Maths and
IT are also valued.
There are a number
of printing NVQs,
including digital
print production,
machine printing
and print administration.
More details of
these can be found
at the City and
Guilds
website. |
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Skills:
key skills that
employers will look
out for include
good communication
and teamwork, an
ability to improve
your own learning
as practices and
technologies change,
computer awareness
and strong numerical
and problem solving
ability. |
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Source: ProSkills
Where
to go for more information
If you want to find out more
about getting started in the
print industry then the ProSkills
website has all you need to
know. You can find it here.
For more information on
jobs, including apprenticeships
in printing, visit the BPIF’s
dedicated microsite.
If you need a little more
convincing, you can find a
whole range of reasons for
joining the print trade at
PrintIT.
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