ITI Articles

Young Christchurch graphic designer Matt McPhail won a New Zealand printing industries award in June – the Graphic Pre-press Apprentice of the Year. The award was a part of industry body PrintNZ's (formerly PAITC) national awards, which aim to recognise print apprentices who stand out from their peers and have a passion for their chosen job. As well as the kudos and recognition, Matt won a scholarship from PrintNZ, in which he was given a new iMac G5.

Matt wasn’t always as clear on his career aspirations as he left school and floundered for a while working in various jobs. 'I woke up one day and finally asked myself "what am I good at?", which was art and computer technology. I did my one-year course at Natcoll in Christchurch and walked into Precision Print after I graduated and asked if they were looking for more staff…the rest is history. The apprenticeship - was supposed to be three years, knocked it off in two years.'

The appeal of the Digital Pre-Press apprenticeship was that Matt could build on the graphic design training he received at Natcoll. By undertaking an apprenticeship Matt was able to earn while he trained.

Matt’s former graphic communications workshop tutor and Natcoll’s National Course Co-ordinator for Graphic Design Kate O’Keefe says she wasn’t surprised when Matt won the award. 'From the moment he presented himself to staff at Natcoll it was evident he would make his mark on our industry. When he moved to Precision Print Management, his drive to complete his apprenticeship in less than three years showed to me that Matt was a determined and skilful operator. Matt was a pleasure to work with in the PrintNZ training workshops. I wish him all the best for his future endeavours in the industry.'