Lang, who joined Blackburn-based Ronset in 2022, achieved his Print Technician Level 3 qualification in December through the BPIF, immediately taking up full employment at the firm.

“His learning curve ended up being quite steep because we had a couple of retirements, but he absolutely stepped up to the mark,” production manager Jason Broomfield told Printweek.

“He’s taken on extra responsibility with a maturity that you wouldn’t expect from someone his age, and is doing really well. He’s a hard worker and gets his head down, and is now a key member of the team.”

Lang’s qualification in December 2024 came a year ahead of schedule after Lang ran through his required modules quickly, even pushing the apprenticeship board to accelerate the process.

“He is probably one of the few people in the building who could work across the entire operation,” Broomfield added, explaining that the Ronset team had been keen to teach Lang skills from across the business, including wide-format, signage, small-format digital and finishing.

Lang now works predominantly on digital print, often finishing his own work.

“It’s been really good,” Lang told Printweek.

“One of our colleagues retired just before Christmas, so it’s shoved me straight into action. The team have been really good, and checked if I needed help when I had all the exams – they’ve been great.”

Chris Durham, Ronset’s commercial director, said: “At Ronset we encourage everybody to learn and get better, and James has done just that.

“We can see how confident he is as a person, and how that has grown in the years that he has been here. He is technically very good, with an eye for detail – and is a smashing lad and a credit to himself.”