Dani Rochford from Signlink Graphics in Hokitika, New Zealand is loving her first year as a signwriter but says she’s discovered “just how under-developed signwriting training is compared to other trades."
Dani Rochford of Signlink Graphics in Hokitika on New Zealand's South Island
“Dani has been working full-time in signwriting for about a year,” says a new blog by NZ not-for-profit group Women in Trades. “Before this, she was doing a gateway course at Signlink through her school for two years in a row.”
"This is my first job and I'm loving it every day,” Rochford says. “So far I have done the Signee course and I'm going on to do more training in the near future as well as an apprenticeship."
Rochford says every day at work is different, with a wide range of jobs from simple flat panel signs to shop installs and car wraps.
"I first heard about the industry when I did gateway at Signlink," Rochford says. "I was going to be learning about design but decided when I saw what else they do that signwriting was more my speed.
"When I first started at Signlink I didn't have anyone to drive me up the hill their workshop is based on, so every morning I would walk 20 minutes up the hill to get to work and 20 minutes back home afterwards. There were, and still are, a lot of challenges with lifting signs and panels, at first I couldn't move the full-sized panels on my own and had to ask for help."
Rochford says one of the best things about her job is being able to create something that others will appreciate - "learning how to make the more complicated signs that not everyone wants - but look unique and stand out.” The first time she manufactured a 3D box out of brushed ACM and black acrylic lettering gave her “a whole new boost to my confidence and taught me a lot through the process.
"My current goals are doing the Yoobee design course and then doing the apprenticeship. Something I wish I knew when I started is just how under developed the signwriting training is compared to other trades."
So far, 99% of the signwriters she's meet have been great people, "curious and creative, always ready to learn something new and always willing to teach you tips and tricks," she says. "It's a great trade to get into!"
Women in Trades (WIT) is a not-for-profit in New Zealand that promotes trades and trades training as a viable career option to women and employers. It’s run by “a committed group of people from in and around the trades and trades services industries. Women make up half the population but hold less than 12% of trades jobs.”
https://nzsda.org.nz
