appretiships in tradtional signwriting

[hullitec]

Hi there,
I am a tutor for the signmaking course in Hull, the course has numerous optional units from vinyl application to the more traditional methods.
The best thing to do to get more information is to log onto the BSGA website and they will give you details of where the nearest provider to you would be. http://www.bsga.co.uk

Hope this helps
Mike

[Hilliard&Winn]

May I ask what course your currently studying and where?

I believe they are modern apprenticeships where you can go to college once a week and have a four day work placement, I started in the trade straight from school working full time and picked up alot of knowledge quickly due to been “thrown” in at the deep end, it sometimes works.

Depending on where you are I may be able to secure you a placement, reply asap 🙂

Skeet

[signworxs]

Hi Rach

I’m also a tutor but at Doncaster College and I agree with Mike that the BSGA is your port of call and they will tell you where your nearest accredited centre is. You will however only have two or three options. These are:

1. Employment with a company that will “sponsor” you through the modern apprenticship scheme

2. Employment with a company who will let you attend day release, this method would take around 2/3 years (you may have fees to pay)

3. Attend full time for one/two years depending on the centre then go self employed

there are only one or two companies in the whole country that are accredited to train to NVQ2 in house so that is probably out of the question.

Nice to see girls still wanting to get into the trade, over the last ten years I have had around 20 females on my course and I know several are still working in the trade and two who are now in managerial posts.

Hope you do well and if you have any more questions fire away. or PM me. Let me know what area your in (not your address) and I may be able to put you in touch with a College direct. I know most of the signmaking tutors in the country cos there arn’t that many of us.

[Robert Lambie]

i know its no help to you, but thought i would add that glasgow college of building and printing registered here few weeks back also. they also offer sign making & signwriters courses. 😀

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Good Luck Rachel!
The reason I AM a traditional signpainter is that @18,
I went to a sign shop looking for work. The man there said
“Give it up kid. You’ll never be a signpainter”
That really bugged me. In the US, there are not many schools
for signs, so I taught myself. Fast forward 20 years…that jagoff
has a shop 2 miles down the road from me.
But I have an established clientele & he is a NOBODY.
There is a God and he is kind.
I have a 16-year old daughter named Rachael, a real pistol who wants to be a cop.
I like Rachels and I hope you do well for yourself, kiddo.
Love…JILL
😉

[Bill Dewison]

I’m going to be less help here than a chocolate fireguard 😕 but as its your first post Racheal, thought it was appropriate to say Hi and welcome to the boards.

Further edukation (I know I know, its education, but its early in the morning! 😳 ) has never been top of my christmas list, but as some of the ppl have said here, there are some great courses that’ll benefit you with 4 days a week in the work place and 1 day a week at college. At least you’ll earn a little while you learn alot 😀

If you’re so inclined though, why not try following Jill’s lead (no, no, I don’t mean dying your hair or force feeding poor newbie signwriters to try tacos, just to see the look on their faces 😉 ) Being self-made at anything is fantastic, and Jill is a great example of someone who is not only self-made but who’s character and signwork echos around both the US and the UK. And as Jill has said, with sufficient motivation, you can do it too. Combined with the whole college thing, just reading demo’s here, talking to other signwriters and asking questions (even if they’re really simple questions) can give you a unique grounding in signmaking that most of us would have killed for (well, okay, maimed, but you know what I mean 😉 ).

Good luck thouch Racheal, and I hope you keep posting on the boards. Don’t be afraid to ask those questions either, and if you ever feel daft, read one of my posts. I’m always asking stupid questions as I’m a relative newbie to the industry, yet ppl will always reply, they help and they advise and 99.9% of the time they’ll make you laugh at the same time. Makes learning new skills a whole lot of fun 😀

Anyway, off to see what I can learn and earn today. Look forward to hearing more about you and your progress Racheal 😀

Cheers, Dewi

[rachelw]

wow your all so nice!thankyou so much for all your help! im currently studing at godalming college in surrey doing textiles english literature and product design. My father(gerald whittaker) is also i signwriter but he doesnt really want to teach me as im family. How did all of you get into the trade? rachel

[signworxs]

I would wholeheartedly agree with jill cos I’m originally self taught but later apprenticed to an ol timer and i didnt paint a sign for the first 3 years but had to do practice boards daily. The only reason people will eventually need to gain a level two NVQ qualification is to obtain a CSCS card(construction industry safety card). Now this card is issued to all construction operatives and this allows them to work on building sites but they must hold a level 2 NVQ qualification to get one. Recently this requirement has been extended to the sign industry and as such any company needing to access new builds to erect signs need to produce this card before being allowed on site. I dont know how many sign companies this will effect, I have in the past done work for building firms where i’ve done signs for the site office and show houses and recently i have been asked for my CSCS card. I will post this topic else where for genaral discussion.

[Nicola McIntosh]

Good luck also rachel!! you’ll get there, if you really want too!! 😛
i did cause i was so determined, and i knew what i wanted to do!!
if you’ve got it, you will be noticed!! all the best 😀
jill you have a pistol too!! so do i 15 year old son Brad who thinks he’s rambo, he is currently in the Black Watch Cadets, and will be joining the army at 16 he is so adament and won’t be swayed!! got to let them go! 🙁

nik

[Phill Fenton]

Well done Rachel for having the gumption (is that an old word – and do people still understand its meaning?) to post your request on this site.

I was at my Daughters schools parents evening tonight and noticed a poster which said “Attitude is more important than Aptitude” – what a great piece of advice 😀 . If you want to do this enough you will succeed at it. Many of us here have a broad education (not always sign related but we share a vision to either run our own businesses or be great sign makers).

Learn as much as you can about signmaking and the methods used to manufacture signs and you will have a very enjoyable future ahead of you.

Good luck in your search for gainful employment 😀

[John Singh]

Well done Rachel

Wish you success in your endeavours
Keep trying – don’t give up

Some great suggestions here on the board already – Go for it.

As your Father is a signwriter you are well familiar with the nature of the game.

A lot of signwriters here are self taught just like Jill and others

Its a great art and we welcome more interest from young ones

John

[Andy Gorman]

Welcome Rachel.

I got into this line of work by finding a trainee position at a local sign place when I was your age. They had no college courses for signmaking at the time so all my training was on the job. I don’t know much about the formal college based training available now ( I’m sure it’s very good ) but I’m a firm believer that the best practice is experience at work. Where I live there are often companies offering trainee positions and I guess this is the same in other places too. Good luck in your search. It’s a brillo job to be in. Most of the time!

[rachelw]

DOes anyone know of any college courses that might be able to help me? i have already sent off for some prospecuses by havent heard back from all of them.
rachel 🙄

[rachelw]

having just read a ‘heated’ discussion on someone trying to learn traditional signage that took place at the begining of december, im now extremely greatful that one of my parents is in the trade! 😛 i have to say that i think that its better if you have loads of enthusiasm and make mistakes along the way than not try at all, one of my reasons to learn the trade is that i dont want to see it die out having grown up with it. although i feel a little put off with the ‘dont no it dont touch it’ comment

rachel

[signworxs]

Hi Rach

There are only two colleges that are accredited to deliver signmaking in your area (Surry I believe from an earlier post) These are Thanet College dont know who you need.
And Hammersmith and West London College and its a guy called Bruce Barber, Both do the traditional signwriting module.

paul

[rachelw]

just wanted to put my plea out again to ask if anyone would or knows of anyone who is interested in taking on an apprentise in signwriting,

ive tried everything i can think of, phoning emailing, college prospectuses, but no one seems to be interested in taking me on, that or the courses are just too far away and dont really cover what i want to do 🙄 purrrlese reply 🙁 rachel

[Robert Lambie]

hmmm i maybe wrong here but why not contact the huge sign companies.
someone like oldham signs (did they close doors?) anyway.. these huge companies have sign writing divisions. basicaly they may do a chain of pubs like brewers fayre and need loads of traditional stuff done along with all the moulded pastic work and the like. they have time served painters/carvers etc that deal with their own side of the work. why not try them.. im sure they have the money to take on a trainee.. just an idea 🙄

[Nicola McIntosh]

if you were near me rachel i would take you on!! 😀
you seem really keen!! and i know the feeling, been there myself!! 😀

hope you get something soon!! 😀

Nik

[storeinet]

i started on a yts many years ago, found a placement due to someone not turning up! Must agree with all on here, ring round the local sign companies and see what you can find! thats how i started,used to do mostly brewery work, from signwriting, guilding to pictorials sadly now mostly vinyl work but still fun all the same.Good luck
Mac