High Tech Training for the Next Generation of Signmakers

Tom Lamont is making sure students at Valley Tech have the skills to enter the workforce.

Tom Lamont is proud to be an instructor at one of the top 25 high schools in the U.S., Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, Mass. Each year, more than 1,000 students from 13 surrounding towns apply for just 320 spots.  “The locals call it Valley Tech,” says Lamont, “Parents throw big parties when their kids get in.”

Lamont had started his own sign business right out of art school.  When his own son was accepted at Valley Tech in 2014, Lamont offered to teach the kids how to hand letter, pinstripe, gold leaf, and airbrush. As he toured the facility, he noticed a 30" Roland (Booth 4616) printer/cutter in the corner.

“Of course, I knew right away what it was — I’ve had very positive experiences using Roland inkjets,” says Lamont.  “The instructor said they were looking for someone to teach the kids digital printing.” Lamont applied, and the rest is history.

Growing with the latest tech

To update the school’s production platform, in 2018 Lamont brought in a 30" Roland TrueVIS SG-300 digital printer/cutter.  “Rolands are the best — you can’t beat the quality,” he says. “The TrueVIS has amazing speed and accuracy.  We also wanted the print/cut feature to streamline our workflow. “

According to Lamont, it’s also important to provide a learning environment that prepares students for the real world. “We want our students using equipment they are likely to see again on the job. The training we provide on our Roland is one of the things that makes our students so highly employable.”

Lamont now leads an ever-expanding group of students in Painting and Design Technologies.  “We are seeing more and more students interested in taking the next step from working behind a screen to actually printing their designs and hanging their projects where everyone can see them,” he says.

Hands-on training

To introduce the benefits of digital printing to freshmen in the school’s one week “exploratory” sessions, Lamont has students download images, from which he then prints and cuts decals. Many students use the stickers to personalize their notebooks or cell phone cases.

As sophomores, Lamont starts teaching students the sign trade, including how to use and maintain equipment. The students also begin printing banners, floor graphics, and simple signs. “We do a lot of print work for the school, including safety graphics for all the shops,” says Lamont.

Junior and seniors at the school handle all aspects of project production, lamination, and installation for signs, banners, and wall and floor graphics. They also print graphics for T-shirts. 

Giving back to the community

Valley Tech is committed to giving back to the towns in which its students live. Recently, Lamont’s students created a large sign for the town hall in nearby Millville, in addition to refinishing and painting the building’s main room. They also help by producing signage for the other high schools in the district, as well as for local nonprofit organizations.

Lamont loves that his students get to see their work on display outside of their classroom. “While our kids do some made-up projects, they also get to create real signage for the school and the community,” says Lamont. “They get to say to their friends, ‘hey look I made that.’” 

“I’ve been in the sign industry forever. Now, the shops I worked for over the last 25 years are hiring my students. It’s a great feeling!”