AN APPRENTICE at a Musselburgh company has been honoured by the Scottish print industry.

Marcus Urquhart, who works at Ivanhoe Caledonian, Station Road, has been named the overall Apprentice of the Year in the fifth annual Scottish Print Apprentice of the Year awards.

Marcus, 21, from Peebles, is part of an “accurate and knowledgeable” pre press team, responsible for the preflighting of design work and checking all the elements necessary for a successful print run.

He was one of five “outstanding” young apprentices to be recognised by Print Scotland.

The awards highlight the profile of future leaders of the industry.

Garry Richmond, director of Print Scotland, said: “Scotland’s print businesses have played a critical role in fighting and overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic. As essential workers, they have been at the forefront.

“Given that role, it is more important than ever that the industry needs to employ more apprentices to sustain Scotland’s print sector and the need to encourage more apprentices from an increasingly diverse range of backgrounds.

“These awards recognise outstanding achievement amongst the young people who represent the next generation of our leaders of Scotland’s print sector. While we have been unable to hold our apprentice awards as an occasion, the certificates were mailed and presented to the winners by their respective managers and mentors.”

Print Scotland’s president Iain Robertson said: “Our members have demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 lockdown that print is an essential element in a civilised society.

“That in itself tells us that the print industry in Scotland has a real future across a range of skill sets and needs a constant flow of high-quality and motivated apprentices in even greater numbers, and from an increasingly diverse range of backgrounds, to fulfil its potential.”