PrintIT! is designed to build links between the industry and the workforce of tomorrow and amongst the 14 category winners (see below), Natasha Bates of Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire was crowned the overall winner.

Print IT! programme director for Proskills, Richard Moore said: “The entries this year were of a really high standard and all of the finalists were worthy of the overall prize so the judges thought long and hard before reaching their decision.”

The PrintIT! Awards, which can form part of the curriculums for GCSEs and A Levels in Media Studies and Graphic Products/Product Design, were launched in 2005. Since then, more than 2,000 schools and 140,000 students have taken part in the scheme.

Outgoing PrintIT! chairman Tony Lock, who is group commercial director at Duplo International, added: “The entire print and paper industry should be very proud that it has the largest schools into industry programme in the UK. Encouraging talent, youth and energy into our industry is critical to the continued success of print and paper in this digital world.”

“Education is an investment in the future-our future. Let’s all get behind the fantastic initiative and continue the great work that has already started. I have been proud to be a small part of the programme.”

A key element of the scheme is the twinning programme, where a school is twinned with a local printer to help the students develop a better understanding of the career opportunities in print.

This year’s ‘Best Twinner’ winner was Learn to Dream (LtD) in East London, which was twinned with Newstead Wood School in Orpington, Kent.

“We weren’t sure what to expect, but from [LtD director] Seymour Reeves’ point of view, he was really keen to give something back to the industry. And in the end it went really well as they got involved with every step of the process of producing their work,” said LtD office manager Jane Edwards.

As part of their involvement, around 30 schoolchildren visited large-format specialist LtD and saw their PrintIT! projects being produced. Two of the students have subsequently undertaken work placements at the 20-staff company, with another two set to follow suit in June.

“It gives us a chance to show them all of the career options in print, and it’s a great for us too because it’s a fun thing to do,” added Edwards.

2012/13 PrintIT! Category Winners

  • Royal Opera House – Best Postcard Winner – Alex Pace from St Ives School in Cornwall
  • Royal Opera House – Best Flyer Winner – Jake Turner from Bungay High School in Suffolk
  • Royal Opera House – Best Poster Winner – Joseph Dann from St Ives School in Cornwall
  • Royal Opera House – Best Design Concept – Hester Baird from Arthur Mellows Village College in Cambridgeshire
  • PrintIT! Scotland – Best Graph – Kathryn Spain, Kinross High School in Kinross
  • PrintIT! Scotland – Best Table Talker – Georgie Beavan, Kinross High School in Kinross
  • Best Poster – Natasha Bates, Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire
  • Best Free Design – Mahima Patel, The Beauchamp College in Leicestershire
  • Best Packaging – Sophie Sanford, The Tiffin Girls’ School in Surrey
  • Best Floor Graphic – Tom Burnett, Chris Gardner, Andrew Francis, The Duchess’s High School in Northumberland
  • Best Use of Brand – Lucy Stokes, Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire
  • Best Environmental Awareness – Katrina Lail, The Beauchamp College in Leicestershire
  • Best Understanding of Printing Techniques – Lucy Eaton & Chloe Smith in Kirk Balk Community College in South Yorkshire
  • Overall Presentation – Drew Smith, Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire
  • Best Teacher – Tina Hill, Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire
  • Best Twinner – Learn to Dream

Overall Winner of PrintIT! 2013
Natasha Bates, Wycombe High School in Buckinghamshire