Business | Talking Point


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Jo Stephenson,


The print industry is as diverse as it is expansive, making it the fifth largest employment sector in


the UK. Yet it is an aging workforce with young people perhaps not seeing a clear pathway into


it. That’s where Young People in Print comes in; it is an organisation looking to champion the industry to the youth while supporting those already thriving in it. Jo Stephenson, managing director of Think B2B


Marketing, and YPIP board member, explains more.


Where and when did you get your start? I worked in substrate production (plastic films) for 14 years and then moved to Sun Chemical in 2007, where I was working in the liquid inks business for the flexo and gravure side of the print industry, as well as sheetfed inks.


What skills have you developed, and what are your opinions on the industry? I’m in a very fortunate position having worked in so many different sectors of the industry – commercial print, sign and display, and packaging – cartons, flexible packaging, labels and corrugated. As such, I’m often asked to speak at conferences and expos on the broader print and packaging industry trends, needs and challenges. Most people are working within one market sector. There isn’t many of us that can talk to the broader industry, which is a lovely position to be in. From a commercial and marketing background, today I work with numerous businesses on their strategy and marketing needs helping them frame their companies and products in a way that appeals to their target customers.


Print and packaging are fantastic sectors – it’s just such a shame that broader society doesn’t seem to recognise its contributions today. It’s simply not recognised by the non-industry media. If there is ever an economic issue, the media and government talk to the needs of the engineering, technology, aerospace or automative sectors for example, but never print and packaging. It’s perceived as small, old fashioned and out of date, when the reality is completely different. It’s a vibrant, growth sector with huge opportunities for careers and economic value but seems to slip through the net when it comes to selling its value, despite being the fifth largest employment sector in the UK.


What is the YPIP (Young People in Print)? A small group of volunteers came together a couple of years back frustrated that there is a lot of talk in the industry, and not


18 | June/July 2025


a lot of action, with respect to attracting and retaining young talent into print and packaging. We chatted about how the industry is suffering from its brain drain and aging workforce over a glass of wine, and how while we are all talking about it, very little is actually being done that is really making a difference. We got together, made a plan, talked to the education sector and here we are. We work with education and careers hubs to connect local print businesses to the education system to provide opportunities to see what the print and packaging industry is actually like. As the old saying goes, ‘you have to see it to be it’. Young people have no idea what great opportunities the print industry offers. There is no educational route into the industry today, bar some apprenticeship routes post school, and we wanted to showcase what the industry is actually about by enabling them to visit printers, see the technology and people in action, and discover what career opportunities were available. We hopefully inspire and educate them to make the print industry a choice for their future career.


What work does it do today? We began by working with printers to open up their facilities to small school groups. While this worked relatively well, we wanted to create real change not just drip feed the industry. We came up with the idea in 2024 to encourage multiple printers to open their businesses all on the same day – International Print Day on October 8 – and we were delighted that 74 printers signed up. The UK print industry was open to the education system on that day for teachers to take their students to a local printer to discover what print is all about, how future careers could be considered and how these companies work with brands, retailers and businesses to produce outstanding printed products. With this success, we, as a group, are continuing to encourage printer engagement. For example, we are currently working with Equalex on a government-funded pilot in Wakefield, West


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