How you deal with difficult customers

Sign technician training is a vocational education where you alternate between attending school and working at a company. You learn the profession in both places: the theory and basic craftsmanship at school, and real work with customers, tasks and deadlines at your apprenticeship. Here you get an overview of how the program is structured and what you go through.

§The basic course — your start

The education begins with a basic course divided into two parts. Basic course 1 is especially for you coming directly from 9th or 10th grade. Here you explore a broad field and figure out if a vocational education in crafts and design is for you. Basic course 2 is targeted to the trade itself where you really start working with signs graphics and materials.

If you come later in life — for example if you are already 25 or have another education behind you — you can often start directly on basic course 2 or get a tailored course. The school assesses what you bring with you.

§Main course — school and apprenticeship alternating

When the basic program is completed and you have an apprenticeship placement, the main program begins. This is where most of the training is. You're with the company most of the time and come to school for several shorter stays along the way. That way you build theory and practice side by side: what you learn in school you try out on real tasks, and the challenges you meet at the company you bring back to teaching.

§How long does it take?

As an ordinary vocational apprenticeship the sign technician apprenticeship takes around three years nine months from start to journeyman's certificate. If you choose the EUX variant where you also study gymnasium subjects on top of the trade the course becomes longer — up to four and a half years. The exact length depends among other things on what you bring with you when you start and how quickly you find an apprenticeship.

§Entry requirements — what do you need?

To enter a vocational education after primary school you must in principle have passed primary school's leaving exam and achieved a certain grade level in Danish and mathematics. If you don't meet the requirement directly, there are other ways in — for example via an entrance exam and interview at the school. If you are an adult or come from a job, different entry rules often apply. Always ask guidance at the school offering the trade so you get the latest and most accurate assessment.

“You don't learn the trade in a week — but each school stay and each task in the company builds on the previous one.”