Long, long distance learning . . .
Mark Fuller, managing director of Tay-Cad in the Shetland Islands, is lobbying for signmaking apprenticeships in Scotland. Do you also think there needs to be more strategic and financial help for companies ‘up north’ looking for new blood?
As the owner of a small graphic design, printing and signmaking business, finding the time for training has always been problematic. Small staff numbers and time off for training plays havoc with the day-to-day running of the business. I have been fortunate to have a small but highly competent staff, well versed in the latest design software and techniques. On the hardware side of things we added HP latex Designjets during 2010 which, to my mind, are a revolutionary way of producing print for both indoor and outdoor projects. Keeping up to date with technology has noticeably improved our productivity, so much so that about four months ago we decided to investigate how we could offer a Signmaking Apprenticeship. That’s when the frustration began.
To give an insight to the difficulties we face in offering this place you need to understand that Tay-Cad is based in the Shetland Islands, well away from the cut and thrust of the UK’s general large-format and signage marketplace, and moreover, well away from industry specific college and training facilities.
All apprenticeship investigation routes kept coming back to Walsall College - we could not find anywhere in Scotland that offered an SVQ Level 2 or 3 in Signmaking. Despite making some good and very helpful contacts, the difficulties we face are mostly financial constraints in regards to providing this SVQ in a remote location. It has been done in Shetland before, with a candidate working for a similar business to our own. Initial investigations on providing a similar placement whereby coursework is set and carried out in the workplace seemed feasible, but the costs involved in assigning and assessing work would appear to be prohibitive as the assessor would have to travel to and be accommodated in Shetland five or six times a year.
It seems that another of the issues we face is there is not a current SVQ framework for the Signmaking Apprenticeship. There is a submission for funding from Skills Development Scotland for six apprentice places; this is still ongoing and awaiting approval. Unfortunately the timing of any solution would likely miss this year’s enrolment.
A recent event held at the East Kilbride and District Engineering Group Training Association’s facility to muster support for a Signmaking SVQ had only one attendee plus my interest noted by email. My own investigations have found nearly a 1,000 signmaking businesses in Scotland, which makes this a poor showing for the initiative.
I have to confess that as a small business we focus on getting the work done and make every effort in the current climate to make sure we have enough work in-house to keep us all occupied without looking too far ahead. However, having weathered the storm over the last two years we find ourselves looking to expand, albeit in a small way by adding to our numbers with an apprentice. What frustrates me the most is knowing the number of signmaking businesses in Scotland that do not appear to have ready access to an SVQ equivalent of the Signmaking NVQ. Surely at a time when building skills and offering accredited training to young people seems to be at the top of every MP and MSP’s agenda, our businesses should be able to find and have access to training young people to carry these businesses forward into the future.
Come on - if you are north of the border and find yourself smiling and nodding at the familiarity of my plight and you are interested in offering an apprenticeship please get in touch. I will do my best to lobby and find out more about securing Signmaking Apprenticeships in Scotland. If even a quarter of our industry in Scotland is serious about training for the future we could surely manage a couple of hundred places to carry our respective businesses forward and offer a rewarding opportunity to youngsters looking for vocational training.
You can contact Mark Fuller on 01595 697199 or email mark@tay-cad.com