Signageapprenticeship
Vinyl and vehicle wraps, digital print, fabrication and install — a nationally recognised Certificate III, assessed in your own shop and on site, where the sign actually goes up.
From the bench to the boom lift
The Certificate III in Signs and Graphics is the trade qualification for signwriters and sign makers. You stay at work and keep earning: your RTA assessor comes to your workplace, the theory is done online, and you finish with a nationally recognised qualification.
The whole sign, start to finish
Design and layout
Set up artwork for production, lay out signs to size and manage colour so the job matches the proof.
Vinyl and print
Cut, weed and apply vinyl, print digital signs and prepare surfaces so the graphics last.
Vehicle wraps
Apply vehicle body film — the skills behind fleet graphics and wraps.
Fabricate and install
Fabricate signs, fit LED technology, and erect and install them safely, including working from an elevated work platform.
What you'll cover
Every apprentice completes the seven core units. The list below is RTA's standard set; electives can be adjusted to suit your workplace.
CPCWHS3001Identify construction work hazards and select risk control strategiesCoreCPCCSG3001Design and lay out digital signs for productionCoreCPCCSG3002Produce and apply vinyl signsCoreCPCCSG3003Colour manage signsCoreCPCCSG3004Print digital signsCoreCPCCSG3011Install LED technology into signsCoreCPCCSG3012Fabricate signsCoreMSMENV272Participate in environmentally sustainable work practicesMSMSUP102Communicate in the workplaceCPCCCM2006Apply basic levelling proceduresBSBOPS304Deliver and monitor a service to customersCPCCSG3016Prepare surfaces for signsAURVTP109Apply vehicle body film wrappingCPCCSG3017Erect and install signsCPCCCM3003Work safely around electrical sources, services and assetsCPCCCM3001Operate elevated work platforms up to 11 metres
Electives are confirmed with you and your employer in your training plan, to suit the work your workplace does.
Start to certificate
Sign up
Your employer signs you up through an Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider and nominates RTA as your training organisation.
Plan
We build your training plan with you and your employer, matched to the work your workplace does.
Learn and do
Theory online in RTA Learning, one unit at a time. Practical skills on the jobs you already do, signed off by your supervisor in the app.
Assessed on site
Your assessor visits your workplace across the apprenticeship, and you finish with your Certificate III.
Get your skills recognised
If you have been making and installing signs for years without the qualification, recognition of prior learning (RPL) assesses the skills you already have against the Certificate III in Signs and Graphics. It usually suits people with at least two to three years of industry experience. Talk to us first — we will tell you honestly whether it is worth applying.
Government subsidised
New South Wales
This training is fee-free and fully subsidised by the NSW Government under the Fee-Free Apprenticeships initiative.
Tasmania
No student fee. This training is subsidised by the Department of State Growth, Tasmania. Fees are absorbed by RTA under a special agreement.
Queensland
RTA does not currently offer the signage apprenticeship in Queensland. Experienced signwriters anywhere can still apply for RPL.
Full details are on our fees page.
Good to know
How long does a signage apprenticeship take?
A signs and graphics apprenticeship runs for three years. Completion is competency based, so you may finish earlier once you have been assessed competent in every unit.
Do I have to leave work to attend training?
No. Your RTA assessor comes to your workplace and assesses you on the work you already do. The theory is completed online in RTA Learning, one unit at a time.
Which states do you offer it in?
RTA delivers the signage apprenticeship in New South Wales and Tasmania. It is not currently offered in Queensland.
Is vehicle wrapping included?
Yes. Applying vehicle body film wrapping (AURVTP109) is part of RTA's standard unit set.
What does it cost?
In NSW apprenticeships are fee-free, and in Tasmania there is no student fee. See our fees page for details.
Who sets up the apprenticeship training contract?
Your employer signs you up through an Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider and nominates Regional Trade Assessments as your training organisation.
I have been in the sign trade for years. Can I get my skills recognised?
Yes. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) assesses the skills you already have against the qualification. It usually suits people with at least two to three years of industry experience.
Have a chat first
It can be hard to get the right information, and to understand how an apprenticeship begins. We know it's a minefield! Give us a call and we'll help you get everything sorted.
This training is subsidised by the Department of State Growth, Tasmania.