LPI apprentice Brett Foran wins at LIA-Heidelberg awards

Decades of dedication to print training has borne fruit for the NSW government's Land & Property Management Authority (LPI) as one of its apprentices was named the state's best.

Click here for our photo gallery from the event.

Pre-press apprentice Brett Foran took the top prize at last night's LIA-Heidelberg NSW Graduate of the Year Awards, the second time an apprentice from the government agency has taken the prize in recent years.

The ceremony was held at the North Ryde RSL Club, where guests were first treated to a speech from Nick Farr-Jones, the former Wallabies captain who led the team to victory in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

Drawing on his experience as a leader in sports and business, Farr-Jones offered some gems of wisdom that could equally be applied to print. "If you get the process right, the scoreboard will look after itself."

Stephen McRobert, manager of LPI's Graphic Services division, praised award winner Foran as "a leader among his peers".

Foran's award follows the 2008 win by LPI apprentice Anna Moran, and McRobert attributed this continued success to a number of facets.

"It starts with the recruitment process. We do fairly heavy screening; we get a lot of applicants for our apprenticeships so we have a good field to pick from.

"Having said that, it is up to the individual to make that happen…. we are upfront that they need to make a big effort."

He said Foran was "a great example of someone who took that onboard".

"He is always willing to put up his hand and learn new things and contribute. He has shown a high level of leadership."

Two apprentices from Bathurst-based LPI were shortlisted for the award, with Foran joined by press handler Jarrod Morrison.

However, both apprentices will now have to set out and look for new roles as LPI is unable to find full-time jobs for them.

"We are not a commercial business in the sense we can move policies around at our will. If there is a job or project, we look to keep them on, but the reality is there may not be something and we made that clear [when we took them on]," said McRobert.

LPI has positions for seven apprentices - three in pre-press, two in press and two in post-press – and has begun the recruitment process to replace Foran and Morrison, said McRobert.