Skillset welcomes 4,600 leather and shoe firms
Following a number of changes to the Sector Skills Council network, the leather and footwear sector has now joined other fashion, textiles and creative industries under the umbrella of Skillset, the Sector Skills Council that represents UK creative media industries. The transition took place on April 1.
The fashion and textiles sector, including leather and footwear, is an important part of the UK economy contributing £10.7 billion each year, of which £700 million is contributed by the leather and shoe industry. The sector’s 79,000 businesses (including 4,600 from the leather and footwear industry) were previously represented by Skillfast UK.
By joining forces with the creative media industries, the combined portfolio of Skillset will be worth more than £45 billion to the economy each year and the move is expected to give employers a stronger lobbying voice on skills issues for the future.
Skillset chief executive, Dinah Caine, said: “It is great to be able to start work on the initiatives that will continue to make a difference for employers in the fashion and textiles sector. There are strong synergies between the skills issues faced by fashion and textiles employers and those in the creative media. Shared concerns include the reliance on mostly graduate entry and intense competition from overseas.”
