Chloe Rudd is the winner of the LIA biennial National Graduate of the Year award, taking away the $15,000 prize to be spent on training and education courtesy of the LIA and Visual Connections.
Rudd beat out nine other contenders including Sarah Kennedy from Colorcorp in QLD, Laura Burgett from Spatial Services in NSW, and Jayd Kiely from APN Print in NSW.
Rudd completed her apprenticeship at regional SA printer Print DNA, located in Renmark, and is active in her community promoting print as a career path to high school students.
She says, “It is amazing, especially coming for a small country town, and putting print on the map. It is exciting to be sitting here and talking to Australian Printer about winning on a Tuesday morning.
“I was a bit nervous, but it is all part of the process. Three years ago I was sitting with Ian Andrews, Print DNA owner, having my job interview, so I have come a long way.
“As part of the Print DNA program, we go into schools and talk about my process from a high school student to apprenticeship, and now being qualified. So it is good to get them involved and let them know what their potential can be outside of high school, and that there are avenues other than University.”
As for what’s next, Rudd says, “I have a business plan, including what I want to do with the scholarship: business marketing, digital marketing, and web development, and visiting Vietnam to see a digital label factory.”
Not slowing down, Rudd is also nominated for a Worldskills Award, and may potentially end up in Sydney to compete at the national-level event.
Rudd says, “It has been a rollercoaster ride in the past eight months, and now it is on to the next chapter. The Worldskills Award night is in a couple of weeks time, and I hear the results in a couple of weeks at an awards night, and if I win that one I then get to travel to Sydney, which would be another journey after the LIA awards in Brisbane.”
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