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Scotland : Scheme to tackle textile industry’s skill redundancies |
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2004-8-18
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DesignerMaker scheme has been launched to tackle skills shortages in Scotland’s knitwear industry following its successful run in the Borders.
Currently, firms will be facing severe labour shortages over the next decade with many long-serving employees due to reach retirement age while the next generation of job seekers reluctant to join textile sector.
Scottish Textiles and the industry’s leading players had set up this special project in Hawick and Peebles last year, to address the above problem.
An assessment of the so-called has shown the project has already forged valuable links between the industry and local communities where textiles retain an important place in the local economy.
Three hundred school pupils were involved in textile projects and there were also teacher placements. The second year of the initiative will concentrate on the Galashiels and Selkirk areas to give another 300 boys and girls an introduction to the knitwear trade and its need for skilled managers, technicians and production workers.
Scottish Textiles and ten Borders companies believe the £36,000 being spent on DesignerMaker over the two years already represents value for money.
If even 550 pupils are targeted by the time the programme finishes it represents expenditure of only £65 per pupil. In return the children have experience of working with a professional designer and first hand exposure to local industry.
One industry executive said: "Many of the children had preconceived ideas about textiles which had left them totally disinterested in us as a work destination. But we think many of the myths of boring jobs and a depressing working environment have been dispelled."
Hazel Brodie, textiles co-ordinator at Scottish Enterprise, believes the majority of pupils involved in the schools initiative would now at least consider textiles as offering career opportunities.
Meanwhile, 24 Scottish companies have accessed more than £250,000 worth of skills funding to assist with training in the workplace.
And another pilot scheme assembled by Borders Jobcentres, textile companies and the knitting industry’s training organisation [KLITRA] has already guided a number of people to full time employment within the trade.
Ray Chlopas, KLITRA’s representative in Hawick, said: "As a direct result of new initiatives based around induction programmes, 13 young people who had been unemployed for more than six months are now working for knitwear businesses." He said a scheme aimed at getting lone parents back in to work resulted in ten out of 11 applicants securing employment.
"There continues to be a very serious shortage of labour across most sectors of the industry simply because many people don''t think it has a future.
"But many of them are pleasantly surprised when they take the trouble to find out what is on offer." |
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