Signee Gateway
The Signee Gateway programme is for years 11, 12 and 13 high school students wanting to explore what a career in the sign industry would be like while achieving credits towards NCEA.
The Signee Gateway programme is completed through practical work experience in a full service sign business.
Talk to your school’s career adviser for more information about this programme.
six pillars
six pillars
learning outcomes
The Signee Gateway programme is designed to provide Gateway students an insight into a what a career in the New Zealand sign industry is all about, whilst working towards NCEA credits.
It covers fundamental knowledge and skills in the ‘six’ pillars’ of sign making and health and safety.
Trainee will demonstrate exploration of design elements and principles, typography, basic colour theory, sign making software and design processes.
Signees’ will gain an understanding of effective visual communication of a message.
Trainee will begin to develop a working knowledge of printing techniques and common tools and machinery used in a sign shop, ie: printers, cutters, laminators and will also gain an understanding of three dimensional signage and its uses including fabricated letters, light boxes and pylon sign fabrication.
Trainee will develop knowledge in the selection and application of vinyl to a variety of surfaces. Identify materials used as substrates for general basic signage.
Develop skills in cutting, weeding, transfer techniques, preparing surfaces for vinyl and application of basic vinyl signage.
Trainee will begin to develop an understanding of signage installation, be able to describe access equipment use and types and have an awareness of the existence of Bylaws
Trainee will be able to describe basic illuminated signage technology such as LED, fluorescent and neon uses in the sign industry. Signees will be able to describe channel letter illumination types and will develop an understanding of lightbox illumination.
Trainee will gain awareness of basic processes, paint techniques, paint types, gilding, handling and cleaning up paints that are used in traditional sign making. Signees will explore hand lettering techniques and begin to develop an awareness of when to choose traditional methods over modern cut and print methods..
The programme consists of two blended learning components
one
work experience
Signee Gateway – work experience
High School students will complete a full term, being one day a week for 10-12 weeks work experience in a sign shop whilst completing the online course and workbook.
The programme can run at the learner’s pace and this may involve one or more school terms. (flexibility to go longer than a 10 week period).
The work experience is done in a full service sign shop.
We work with industry to find a placement in a full service sign shop and with Competenz for assessment of the course for NCEA credits (16 credits)
We provide the trainer/employer with a trainer guide before the full week work experience is undertaken. The trainer uses this for the duration of the work experience. (see photo below)
It’s a guide for the trainers to know what they need to show/teach using their expert knowledge on how things are done!
TWO
Online modules
Signee Gateway – elearning
Trainee completes 8 modules covering the six pillars of sign making and communication on the workplace.
Responsibilities
Signee will
+ Work with employers and schools to find Gateway work experience placements
+ Provide a Trainer Guide for trainer
+ Provide Signee Gateway workbook
Trainee will
+ Takes responsibility for their learning
+ Reliably attend work experience
+ Read training material
+ Take notes in workbook during work experience
+ Work to the best of their ability
+Complete online modules
Sign business/employer will provide
+ Training and expert knowledge
+ Workplace learning opportunities
+ Equipment, time and tools
+ Support and mentoring of trainee to complete programme
Competenz will
+ Sign up Gateway students and employers
+ Assess sign making unit standards
+ Provide Gateway certificate of achievement
+ Report sign making unit standard results to NZQA for record of learning
Assessment information
Work experience assessment
Assessments are NZQA units and assessed by Competenz Industry Training organisation.
Competenz also reports results to NZQA for entering achievement of credits onto student’s Record of Learning (ROL).
The trainees have specific pages for taking notes in their workbooks. They are also prompted in the workbooks to take as many photos as possible for elements of assessment.
Sign making unit standards for NCEA = 13 credits
- 27573 Demonstrate knowledge of safe working practices in a sign making workplace, level 3, credits 5
- This unit can be counted towards any future sign making apprenticeship and will not need to be achieved again.
- 27572 Demonstrate an overview knowledge of sign making in New Zealand, level 2, credits 8
- This unit cannot be counted towards any future apprenticeship or NCEA, as it is only a level 2 credit.
Official Organisation of NZ companies within the NZ Sign & Display Manufacturing Industry
Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the NZ Sign Making apprenticeships
The purpose of Gateway is to enable schools to provide senior students (years 11–13+) with opportunities to access structured workplace learning.
Official Organisation of NZ companies within the NZ Sign & Display Manufacturing Industry
Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the NZ Sign Making apprenticeships
The purpose of Gateway is to enable schools to provide senior students (years 11–13+) with opportunities to access structured workplace learning.