Fashion Design Industry set to Gain New Representation on Skills

A deal is about to be signed that will see the UK’s 79,000 fashion and textiles businesses join Skillset – currently the Sector Skills Council for creative media industries.  The move is expected to give employers a stronger lobbying voice on skills issues for the future.

 

Once final arrangements are agreed, Skillset, which already represents the skills needs of more than 500,000 workers, will have a portfolio of industries that contribute £45 billion to the UK economy each year.

 

To date, the fashion and textiles sector, which includes the fashion design industry, has had its own Sector Skills Council – Skillfast-UK.  However, Lord Mandelson, on Tuesday December 15, announced that Skillfast-UK’s licence to operate will not be renewed when its current contract comes to an end on March 31 next year.

 

The announcement comes just weeks after the launch of the government’s new Skills White Paper, Skills for Growth, which proposed significant reductions in the number of Sector Skills Councils by 2012.

 

The decision for Skillset to represent the fashion and textiles sector on skills was made by Skillfast-UK’s Board, which comprises prominent fashion and textiles industrialists, trade associations and union representation.  After investigating a number of potential alliances, the Board selected Skillset as offering the strongest strategic positioning for the UK’s fashion and textiles industry.

 

Commenting on the new arrangements, John Wilson, director general of UK Fashion and Textiles (the industry’s main trade association), and Skillfast-UK Board Member, said:

 

“The UK is home to some of the world’s best designers and manufacturers, but to retain our position in the face of global competition we need a highly-skilled workforce.  More needs to be done to ensure that our schools, colleges and universities produce people with the skills employers need – and for that, we need a Sector Skills Council to provide strategic influence at the highest level.  Skillfast-UK made great strides, but through Skillset, fashion and textiles employers will be able to influence on the skills agenda at a new level.  This is a good decision for the industry, and one that we hope employers will embrace.”

 

The creative media industries share a number of key skills issues with the fashion and textiles sector, including the need for those involved in creative jobs to have the necessary technical and business skills to realize their vision, and a lack of suitable training to help workers to develop their skills after they join the industry.

 

Skillset chief executive, Dinah Caine, said:  “This is a very exciting move.  There are strong synergies between the skills issues faced by fashion and textiles employers and creative media.  Both sectors already have world-class reputations, and representing fashion and textiles will make our voices louder and even more effective.”

 

Within Skillset, fashion and textiles sector interests will be represented by:

 

·    A newly-created group of fashion and textiles employers, to steer sector activity;

·    A high-profile representative on the Skillset’s influential Board of Directors, which is chaired by GMTV chairman Clive Jones, and deputy-chaired by Icon Entertainment UK chief executive, Stewart Till

·    A dedicated staff team specialising in fashion and textiles work, including a Sector Engagement Manager, qualifications specialists, a Scotland-based manager to support work in the devolved nations and a senior researcher.

 

Skillset is now working to finalise arrangements on the handover, and the agreement is expected to be in place early in the New Year.  An announcement regarding the appointment to the Skillset Board is set to follow.