Press Release
Skillfast-UK tackles fragmented skills and support infrastructure for fashion graduates
8 February 2007
A meeting hosted by Skillfast-UK, the sector skills council for apparel, footwear and textiles, recently brought together representatives from fashion networks and mentoring groups from across the UK with industry bodies including the British Fashion Council and UK Trade and Industry to discuss the support available for design graduates.
The meeting at the Fashion and Textile Museum was the first stage in a process that aims to ensure that fashion design graduates are equipped to face the challenges of industry or self employment and has resulted in a pledge to create a voluntary code of practice for design mentors, a process that will be lead by Skillfast-UK.
As the sector skills council, Skillfast-UK aims to change mainstream training and education to suit employers’ needs. It set up this forum to explore what support is available for fashion designers in the UK with the aim of ensuring that in future graduates will know exactly what help and advice is available and where they should go to find it.
Newham College who partnered with Skillfast-UK in this event unveiled the findings of a mapping exercise of post-graduate support revealing how self-employed fashion design graduates often hit difficulties after around 30 months of business. This research will now pave the way for the creation of an online portal which will enable designers to see what support is available to them and tap into appropriate resources.
Skillfast-UK’s Skills Director Chas Hubbard says: “Our research shows that £70 million is spent each year on fashion education in the UK’s colleges and universities with around 3,000 graduates hitting the job market each year. It is not clear however what support is on offer after they graduate.
“In order to maximise the potential of these talented individuals we should nurture them, which is what this event was all about. We were delighted to discover a genuine enthusiasm for more collaborative working in future from all parties. Everyone attending the event was keen to move towards creating a more joined up support structure for young designers and their willingness to participate will be vital.”
The meeting also provided an opportunity to explore how partners can contribute to the forthcoming British Fashion Council proposals on a way forward for fashion. Partners were keen to provide their feedback and to collaborate on the latest round of European Social Fund funding for the creative industries.
A follow up meeting will be held later this spring, anyone wishing to participate or comment on the issues raised at this forum can contact Skillfast-UK to give their feedback. Visit www.skillfast-UK.org for more information or call Michelle O’Donoghue on 0113 2399620
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