A day in the life

Back in November we had a special guest visit us at The Sign Group. Brendan Perring, SignLink Editor came to see what it is really like to be an apprentice here.

He started the day with a guided tour of the business. Our vinyl room manager, Lydia, showed Brendan how our premises is divided up in to different departments and how we all work together to ensure the smooth running of operations.

Having completed the grand tour, Brendan was set to work. His first task was to learn how to clean, fit and test wiring systems on our LED illuminated built-up lettering. Led by Francis, our workshop foreman, Brendan got a feel for the attention to detail needed to ensure every job we send out is of an excellent standard.

Next Brendan was passed through to LED specialist, Ryan who coached him on the dos and don’ts of fitting LED strip and modules to acrylic letters. In a nutshell, there is no short-cut and no easy way out when it comes to getting this right.

After a break to experience lunch the Yorkshire way (sausage roll and a brew), Brendan moved on to work with John in the router room. Having swept the floors like a true apprentice, it was time to learn how to set up a job for cutting on the routers.

One last station to visit before the end of his education, Brendan was back with Lydia in the vinyl room learning how to fit vinyl to the face of NeonPlus® letters. This is a crucial part of the process of manufacturing NeonPlus® as it aids even illumination.

Finally, having mastered an intensive 1 day apprenticeship it was time for Brendan to sit down and have a chat with Graeme and a chance to ask him if he and Anthony were proud of what they have created together.

“When me and Anthony sit back at the end of the day when the doors are closed we often talk about how far we have come. Yes, we are immensely proud and we are excited about the things to come.”