The London printer, which prints for Guardian Media Group, is in the process of recruiting two local apprentices, one printing and one technical, who will start in 2011.

It will work alongside Havering College in order to train the apprentices, who will be recruited from the Newham and Tower Hamlets communities.

A spokeswoman for GPC said: "Our aim is to attract, recruit and develop young people into the printing industry to ensure skill levels are maintained.

"Every GPC employee is given the opportunity to develop their career; our vision is to provide a development programme that offers career advancement to new entrants."

Unite has said that it is fully behind the apprenticeship scheme, which also has the backing of the GPC chapel.

According to Unite there are 470 print apprentices in the UK, compared with around 15,000 in Germany.

Regional officer Tony Newberry said: "Unite cannot over-emphasise the duty of us all as trade unions, government or employers to invest in our youth and give them skills through meaningful apprenticeships within all our industries.

"Hopefully a few more newspaper printers and printers as a whole will see what the Guardian is doing and follow suite."