Fashion industry needs 40,000 skilled workers
01/09/2008
Leather companies are being urged to take part in a UK-wide campaign to identify the top 50 skilled people in the fashion and textiles industry.
The ‘Behind the Seams’ campaign has been launched by Skillfast-UK, the Sector Skills Council for fashion and textiles, to draw attention to the unsung heroes of the fashion and textiles trade, whose creative talents, technical ability and time-served craftsmanship go into producing successful businesses and international brands.
Skillfast-UK is also hoping that the campaign will highlight the need to recruit and train a minimum of 40,000 new employees over the next five years, to replace those leaving through retirement.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Linda Florance, chief executive of Skillfast-UK, said: “There are 79,000 fashion and textiles enterprises in the UK, many of them fantastic small companies, which may not be household names, but which create exceptional products, using highly-specialised techniques. Behind the Seams will celebrate the skilled individuals who are the backbone of our sector, and we will use the results of the campaign to lobby politicians for more support to develop the skills of the next generation of employees.”
UK-based leather companies can nominate an employee for a Behind the Seams Award online, at www.skillfast-uk.org/bts where they will be asked to explain in 100 words, why their employee is a hidden hero when it comes to skills.
The top 50 nominees UK-wide, plus their employer, will be invited to receive their Award at a major event in London on November 11, attended by key politicians and fashion figures.
Linda Florance is hopeful that several employees from the leather sector will be amongst those selected. She said: “We know there are some great people working in leather. It would be great to see some of their skills celebrated alongside the UK’s best.”
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