Teigan Mennell, from Vital Signs Southland, walked away with three awards and the title of runner-up apprentice of the year at the New Zealand Sign Display Awards in Napier last Friday.
Her skill for installing complex decals on two Porsches earned her a silver medal for Brazier Scaffolding and she nabbed a bronze for her Mobil wrapped work.
"Just being nominated was great, but walking away with three awards with no expectations was awesome," Ms Mennell said.
The 26-year-old Invercargill resident had just completed her four-year sign-making apprenticeship at Vital Signs and was nominated by her company to enter the prestigious awards of excellence.
"It was great for us to be up against big companies like those from Christchurch and Auckland who have the budget to do incredible things.
"I enjoyed seeing what other talented apprentices had done."
She had always been into art and design and was working at a paua factory in Riverton when her father told her about the job opening at Vital Signs.
Five years later and her successful job application led to not just making her a qualified signmaker but also won her a national sign display title and accolades for her company’s work.
Loving her job and being surrounded by a thriving workplace made all the hard work pay off.
It took her five days to install graphics to one of the Porsches but working long hours, "having a good attention to detail" and a helping hand from colleagues made the work satisfying.
Ms Mennell was looking forward to expanding her skill set and the next step in her career by exploring the design opportunities within her role.
- By Nina Tapu
