Training a New Employee

[heyskull]

We currently have a young person that has been handed to us by a training company.
He seem to have what I can only describe as the "right stuff" so we will be taking him on.
The issue is the training company wish us to take them on as an apprentice after his trial period.
This will entail us being able to send us on an apprenticeship scheme.
The burning question is obviously, their is no available apprenticeship as a "Sign maker" as this is a specialist business, so what do we send him to do?!!
My thing is to qualify I have to send him for some sort of apprenticeship which will give him a qualification.
What area should he be trained for his apprenticeship in which would be advantageous for us all?

SC

 

[Gino]

Basics.

 

[heyskull]

I think you may have misunderstood.
I have to put him into a college apprenticeship such as engineering, woodwork, plumbing, electrical, etc.

SC

 

[Dizimoto]

Graphics/Design...?

 

[Jacob Singer]

Graphic Design?

EDIT: Dizi beat me by a minute.

 

[rjssigns]

Electrical perhaps? If he does well he should be certified by the end of his apprenticeship. You can train him all other aspects of your sign business while he's in school. Now you have a licensed electrician in your shop that can do signs.

If it doesn't work out he will have a solid trade for back up.

 

[heyskull]

Oh and here is the other issue:-

The only thing the local college does not do is Graphic Design.

This is a good thing in my eyes as everyone I have employed that thought sign making was just like graphic design lasted no longer than 2 months!
Graphic Design has no links with sign making much to contrary belief we do not all sit in front of a computer designing pretty vehicle wraps.
Ask any sign maker dangling of a scaffolding trying to fix a sign in a gale!

SC

 

[Marlene]

carpentry would be great as it teaches basic building. learning how to build anything helps in the long run as it teaches planning such as best use for materials, square footage, basic measurements and such. other classes would be welding as it is practical plus teaches planning and such. marketing as it teaches what sells a product or serivce. without marketing, graphic design is just drawing pretty pictures.

 

[Logoadv]

How about a CAD drafting or perhaps a business management course? Depending on what roles you may want to fill in the future, either could be useful. I've studied 3D animation, graphic design, and CAD, and the latter has been far more applicable to sign design and fabrication.

 

[bigben]

carpentry would be great as it teaches basic building. learning how to build anything helps in the long run as it teaches planning such as best use for materials, square footage, basic measurements and such. other classes would be welding as it is practical plus teaches planning and such. marketing as it teaches what sells a product or serivce. without marketing, graphic design is just drawing pretty pictures.

+1 I would not have think of that, but it's very logic.

 

[d fleming]

Welding, electric, carpentry, engineering, cdl training, graphic design, accounting and more, it takes quite a list to make a seasoned sign person!

 

[wgsengraving]

Does the school have an engineering technology curriculum? It's not a full blown engineering degree, but it does give the basics with most of the studies in hands-on practice.

I looked through the college's website near your location, (http://www.lcwc.ac.uk/area-of-study/engineering/), and found several opportunities that may work out. I am not familiar with the UK's higher learning system, so you would need to investigate further.

 

[ImpactSignCo]

marketing as it teaches what sells a product or serivce. without marketing, graphic design is just drawing pretty pictures.

As a graphic designer, I would respectfully disagree with the above statement, but agree with the carpentry aspect being extremely important. It gives a good foundation to build off of. Marketing is extremely important, but equally important is being able to problem-solve to fit a customer's needs, which graphic design teaches. Graphics can be learned, but having that baseline of being realistic on what can and can't be done is super important, which carpentry and basic building teaches. I would say that, working as a graphic designer, I wish some designers had more hands-on experience on how things are put together outside of the computer. Elaborate design ideas are sometimes not realistic.

 

[cmwpmm]

I'd have to go with engineering

 

[Marlene]

As a graphic designer, I would respectfully disagree with the above statement, but agree with the carpentry aspect being extremely important. It gives a good foundation to build off of. Marketing is extremely important, but equally important is being able to problem-solve to fit a customer's needs, which graphic design teaches. Graphics can be learned, but having that baseline of being realistic on what can and can't be done is super important, which carpentry and basic building teaches. I would say that, working as a graphic designer, I wish some designers had more hands-on experience on how things are put together outside of the computer. Elaborate design ideas are sometimes not realistic.

knowing what sells a product or service is important when designing as how do you know to design to appeal to the right market? the two go together and without some knowledge of marketing, it is just a guess as to what sells the business you design for. do I claim to be an expert in marketing? nope but it sure helps to have the basics as it makes you look around you more with an educated eye and really see what works. a simple example is a health food store logo. not going to work well with comic sans in bright red on yellow. simple way to know that is to see what appeals to the market for that business and that pretty much is marketing in a nut shell. you may be able to design a great looking logo but if it misses the target market, what good is it

 

[ImpactSignCo]

knowing what sells a product or service is important when designing as how do you know to design to appeal to the right market? the two go together and without some knowledge of marketing, it is just a guess as to what sells the business you design for. do I claim to be an expert in marketing? nope but it sure helps to have the basics as it makes you look around you more with an educated eye and really see what works. a simple example is a health food store logo. not going to work well with comic sans in bright red on yellow. simple way to know that is to see what appeals to the market for that business and that pretty much is marketing in a nut shell. you may be able to design a great looking logo but if it misses the target market, what good is it

100% agree.

 

[heyskull]

Thanks everyone.

SC

 

[Jwalk]

I suppose graphic design isn't the biggest thing but is something I always could use more knowledge on as with everything else.
For a man who knows nothing knows the most.

I would love to have more skills at illustrator.

If graphic design was available I would send him into that.

engineering, carpentry and electrician are all worthy as well.

 

[OldPaint]

being a DRAFTSMAN and learned it from 8th grade to 12th and 2 years after graduation, building metal building for a few years.......... and being an ARTIST......... since i was 4-5..........pretty well overcomes any any GRAPHIC DESIGN label.
the drafting training makes carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC ALL A LOT EASIER to do as you have all the skills from drafting to apply to any of those trades. the ARTIST part is......well we are a breed unto ourselves......YES you can be taught ART, but most who do art.......it is an innate ability from birth. no matter what you do .....this thing will somehow become part of your life....and work....i dabbled at signs since i was taught in 1957-58.....how to swing a brush, and having ARTIST ABILITY to draw just about anything, and NO COMPUTERS then.......we got paid well for what we did. nothing like rolling up to a location.........getting your paint box out the vehicle, cleaning the surface you needed to letter, grab a stabilo and DRAW....... your layout. now pickup your paint brush and go to it)))) then when you collected your pay, you had $5-10 in materials.....and the rest was PROFIT))))

i had a shop(98-2000), kids used to come in looking for work......they tell me they are GRAPHIC DESIGNERS(17-18 yr olds)and i would hand them a 11 x 17 legal pad and a pencil........and say ok draw me something.
well.......the response was always....OH....... i dont draw, i do all my design work on the computer.....next i would ask if they could read a TAPE MEASURE, USE A CIRCULAR SAW, USE A JIG SAW, RUN A IMPACT DRILL......CLIMB A LADDER all of these things without hurting themselves........most couldnt read a tape measure)))) so in this business. sittin on your arse.........in front of a computer screen aint all there is))))))))))))))))))))))