Printing Education

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Prior to industrialisation print apprentices served their time in-house learning from their trade from trained journeymen. However, the introduction of new machinery led to a demand for more than on the job training. This was first discussed in Edinburgh at a meeting of technical education in 1873 when William Chambers advocated the inclusion of a printing school.

In 1887 the first trades courses were held at Heriot Watt College in Chambers Street, Edinburgh. In 1908 extra rooms at Chambers Street were given over to print rooms and the centre of the print school emerged. 1918 -1919 saw the beginning of a once a week day release classes at Heriot Watt under the Education (Scotland) Act. This was not supported and their establishment only lasted two years.

It was not until the establishment of the apprentice training committee in 1928 that Heriot Watt College was formally set up as a printing school. The apprentice training committee brought forward a method to assist employers in the selection of potential emplyees ensuring that the apprentice entered into the industry with the necessary educational achievements. This scheme was operated by the Scottish Print Employers Federation.

The Industry Training Act of 1964 took the formalisation of industrial training away from the employer and transfered it to an industry wide training board. When Napier College opened in 1964 the responsibility for print education in Scotland was transfered across from Heriot Watt. Heriot Watt was moving away from technical college provision and was soon to gain University status. Napier became the leading technical college for the trades and offered print education to Honours degree level.

The establishment of the Printing and Publishing Industry Training Board (PPITB) in 1968 led to a general policy on print education provision. The PPITB introduced day release / block release classes to all apprentices allowing them to attain a nationally validated certificate. These certificates were awarded by the City & Guilds Institute until the 1980s and the introduction of SCOTVEC.