A clear path to stronger sign industry skills
Whether you’re welcoming a new employee or developing your project management skills, knowing where to start makes a difference. ISA Learning Paths bring related online courses together into a structured training plan for the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry.
Choose from two Onboarding paths and four Project Management paths, each with a suggested schedule and recommended workplace activities that connect course concepts to real projects.
Build your skills. Earn a digital credential.
Complete an ISA Learning Path to earn a digital credential recognizing your achievement. Share your digital badge on your professional profiles and with current or prospective employers to highlight your continued development in the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry.
Online Learning. Real-World Practice.
Each Learning Path helps employees and employers organize training around a clear focus, with:
- Industry-specific courses that build relevant knowledge and skills.
- Suggested schedules that make it easier to plan training alongside daily responsibilities.
- Recommended workplace activities such as job shadowing, department visits, project observation, and supervisor check-ins.
Use the suggested pace as a starting point and adjust it to fit your team, role, and opportunities to practice. Allow additional time for workplace activities and discussions.
Onboarding Learning Paths
Help new employees understand the entire sign process
Give new hires a foundation they can build on, whatever their role. These two complementary paths introduce how signs are planned, designed, manufactured, and installed, and how departments work together along the way.
For supervisors, HR professionals, and company leaders, the paths provide a framework for more consistent onboarding. Taken in sequence, they offer approximately eight weeks of suggested training.
Onboarding I: Sign Industry Fundamentals
6 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 4 weeks
ISA Member Price: $320 | Non-Member Price: $400
Build an understanding of the sign industry, from sign types and terminology to regulations, permitting, design, and engineering. This path helps employees communicate more confidently with customers, suppliers, and colleagues while understanding the decisions that shape a sign project.
New sign industry employees and staff who need broader knowledge across departments, including sales, customer service, project coordination, permitting, design, estimating, and operations.
- Signs 101
- Sign Industry: Sign Types & Uses
- Sign Industry: Regulations
- Sign Permit Process: Application to Inspection
- Sign Industry: Design
- Engineering Principles for Sign Design
Complete two courses per week during the first three weeks, then use week four to review and reinforce learning. Pair coursework with company tours, permit and design file reviews, project meetings, and time shadowing the design department. Wrap up with a supervisor check-in and a plan for continued development.
Onboarding II: Sign Manufacturing & Installation Fundamentals
7 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 4 weeks
ISA Member Price: $320 | Non-Member Price: $400
Explore what happens beyond the design phase. This path introduces the materials, equipment, fabrication processes, installation practices, and safety considerations that help shop and field teams bring signs to life.
New sign industry employees, production and manufacturing staff, fabricators, installers, installation coordinators, and employees in sales, customer service, project coordination, and logistics who need to understand shop and field operations.
- Sign Industry: Materials
- Vinyl Graphics: Types & Installation
- Material Selection: Acrylic & Polycarbonate
- Equipment Tools and Electrical Certifications
- Adhesives in the Sign Industry
- Sign Industry: Life of a Sign, Manufacturing/Installation Focus
- Installation: Safety
Complete one to two courses per week, paired with exposure to graphics production, fabrication, assembly, shipping, and installation. Daily shop time of one to two hours is strongly recommended. Include installation ride-alongs as available and finish with a supervisor check-in.
Project Management Learning Paths
Build the skills to guide sign projects from planning through installation
Strengthen your ability to coordinate people, anticipate challenges, and keep projects moving. These four paths focus on complementary skills for entry- and mid-level project managers, as well as employees who manage projects as part of another role.
The paths are organized by skill area rather than years of experience. For a progression that builds across all four areas, follow the recommended sequence:
Essentials > Applied > Manufacturing > Installation
Each path has a suggested one-week schedule, creating approximately four weeks of learning when taken in sequence.
Project Management I: Essentials
4 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 1 week
ISA Member Price: $160 | Non-Member Price: $200
Establish a foundation in project planning, communication, leadership, and stakeholder management. Explore the responsibilities and challenges of managing sign projects while building the skills to coordinate work across departments.
New project managers, project and program coordinators, assistant project managers, salespeople managing their own projects, and team leads preparing for project responsibility.
- Project Management Fundamentals for Sign Projects
- Project Management Principles for the Sign Industry
- Essential Skills for Project and Program Management
- Essential Leadership Skills for Project Managers
Complete one course per day over four days, followed by a review with a supervisor, mentor, or colleague. Reinforce learning by attending project meetings, shadowing an experienced project manager, and reviewing schedules, customer communications, and departmental handoffs.
Project Management II: Applied
4 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 1 week
ISA Member Price: $160 | Non-Member Price: $200
Build on the fundamentals with a focus on execution, risk identification, leadership, compliance, and decision-making. Develop your ability to respond to changing conditions and balance customer expectations with timelines, budgets, and operational needs.
Project managers, program managers, senior project coordinators, account and sales managers with project responsibilities, and operations leaders.
- Project Management: Identifying Risks in the Sign Industry
- Top 10 Leadership Qualities of an Exceptional Project Manager
- Accessibility and ADA Standards, Guidelines, and Compliance
- Installation: Electrical Signage
Complete one course per day over four days, followed by a review with a supervisor, mentor, or colleague. Participate in project planning, risk discussions, and customer meetings. Observe how teams address compliance requirements, schedule changes, and revisions on active projects.
Project Management III: Manufacturing
5 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 1 week
ISA Member Price: $160 | Non-Member Price: $200
Understand the production, quality, logistics, and compliance considerations that affect project success. Explore how project management decisions influence fabrication, installation readiness, profitability, and customer satisfaction, and how to identify challenges before they become larger problems.
Project and program managers, manufacturing project managers, production and operations leaders, quality and compliance coordinators, scheduling and logistics staff, and senior estimators.
- Project Management Challenges and How to Rise Above Them
- Designing Compliant Signage ADA NFPA LEED
- The Real Cost of Shop Rework and 5 Ways to Prevent It
- Installation and Logistics of Electronic and Digital Displays
- Installation: Wall Signs
Complete one course per day over five days and review key takeaways with a supervisor, mentor, or colleague. Spend time with fabrication, paint, assembly, and shipping teams. Review examples of rework and production delays, and observe how project handoffs affect schedules and budgets.
Project Management IV: Installation
4 courses | Suggested schedule: approximately 1 week
ISA Member Price: $160 | Non-Member Price: $200
Prepare for the field realities that can determine a project’s success. Focus on installation planning, permitting and variance challenges, customer management, and problem-solving to help guide projects through installation and closeout.
Project and program managers, installation coordinators, field operations and service managers, permit specialists, and account managers with installation responsibilities.
- Sales: Nuisance Customer Strategies
- Sign Variance Basics and Essentials
- Installation: Freestanding Signs
- Sign Installation Problem Solving
Complete one course per day over four days, followed by a review with a supervisor, mentor, or colleague. Participate in site surveys and pre-installation planning, observe installations as available, and review field challenges, project closeout, and lessons learned.