What about Clothing & Textiles?

The UK textile industry was once a mainstay of the country’s economy, with a reputation for quality workmanship and innovative design, exporting silk, cotton and wool products to all four corners of the world. As production became mechanised, textile manufacture was a driving force behind the industrial revolution.

Recent years, however, have seen a decline in the levels of manufacturing exports from the UK. The competitive nature of the industry means that more and more retailers have sourced their produce from overseas while manufacturers, beleaguered by the strength of sterling, are increasingly looking to move facilities to countries where production costs are lower.

The industry has therefore evolved to focus on design, marketing and distribution. Although 95% of textile goods are now imported, the sector thus remains important to the economy, valued at £45.5 billion and employing 110,000 people.

Typical Activities

The UK clothing and textile industry has become increasingly “high-tech” in recent years, investing heavily to achieve the efficiency necessary to compete on an international level. Typical activities now include:  

• Create designs for woven, knitted or industrial fabrics and textile products
• Researching, testing and sampling the chemicals, dyes and products in use
• Operating and maintaining complex machines used to produce new fabrics

Getting in

Historically, employment opportunities in the textile and household goods industry concentrated on the lower skilled occupations, rather than high skilled professional qualifications. However, the changing industry has been accompanied by an increasing need to develop higher skills in areas such as product design, manufacturing, material production and processing.

People employed in the clothing and textile industry include craftspeople, technicians, designers, engineers physicists and industrial chemists. As a general rule this is an industry that is looking for people who are able to update knowledge and change direction quickly. The skills needed vary with the job, but everyone working in this industry will need to be able to adapt as the sector develops. 

Apprenticeships and self-employment are popular options in this sector. Again, the flexibility of training provision may well prove crucial to the self-employed. There is also an increasing need for graduates, with technology, engineering and also specialised degrees in high demand.

Typical Employers

The clothing and textile sector is very diverse and increasingly dominated by smaller highly skilled companies. In the technical textiles sector, UK companies are leading the world.

• Anglo Felt Industries
• Heathcoat fabrics
• Techtex
• J&D WIlkie

More reading

SEMTA (Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance) tel: 0800 282 167

Skillfast-UK - the Sector Skills Council for fashion and textiles.