Simpson Group Encourages the North East's Next Generation of Talent to Consider a Different Career Path
1/15/19 • Business Up North — By Thomas Saint-Noir
Point of sale printer specialist Simpson Group is aiming to inspire and motivate future talent in the region to consider a career path they may not have been familiar with before.
In a bid to introduce more young people to the print industry, the firm has been working with schools in the North East to educate young people on the opportunities that are available to them in the sector.
To bring these opportunities to life, the Simpson team recently visited Thorp Academy in Ryton, Gateshead to deliver a presentation to 140 year nine students on the print industry and the different career paths they might look to experience.
Students heard from Development director Sarah Tishler and company trainer Monika Rudnik who, in addition to talking around life at Simpson Group, spoke about what employability skills students should be developing to prepare themselves to be work ready, and the ten skills highlighted in the UK STEM programme.
Sarah Tishler, Development director at Simpson Group, said: “It is interesting to see that a lot of students aspire to be in the type of jobs that the print industry employs, but would never have considered a career in print.
“As a STEM ambassador, I want to get the print industry firmly out there as an option for students to consider. At Simpson Group we have fantastic opportunities for young people through our apprenticeship programmes and we’re really keen to share that with the region.”
Over the years, Simpson Group have welcomed a host of talent into apprenticeship positions including print administration and management, regulatory compliance officer, print finishing and lithographic print.
The print firm is also working with Founders4Schools, who make it easy for teachers to use its digital platform to invite business leaders into schools and share insight reports to highlight the companies contributing most in their area.
Pledging its support to the cause, Simpson Group recently attended a careers fair at Grindon Hall School in Sunderland where the team met students who are exploring career options after school, their Careers Manager said: “Simpson group have been to our careers fair twice. When we asked students which of the stalls they found most interesting and informative, the winner by a long way was Simpson group. They were fun, interactive and engaging”. The company is also in the top five contributors by number of hours volunteered in the Newcastle area.
Sarah added: “We’re looking at how our work with schools can be taken into 2019 and we already have some exciting ideas in the pipeline.
“We want young people in the North East to see the variety of jobs opportunities that are available out there and right here in the region.”
Washington-based Simpson Group specialises in point of purchase print with customers from the retail, travel, gambling and entertainment industries. It currently employs 100 members of staff across the North East and a satellite southern operation in Langley.