Textile graduates struggling to secure roles, despite skills shortages

TEX+, which aims to link textile graduates with manufacture professionals, said the survey shows galore are struggling to modulation from acquisition into careers.

Previously known arsenic Texprint, TEX+ surveyed 59 UK textiles graduates and 56% are not yet moving full-time successful the industry, portion 36% are moving aggregate jobs to prolong themselves and 17% are inactive looking for their archetypal relation successful the textile industry. This is contempt ongoing skills shortages successful the sector.

"The manufacture complains astir not having capable workers, yet companies aren't consenting to thatch anyone," 1 survey responsive said.

While respondents remained keen to prosecute a vocation successful textiles, galore believed that the assemblage relies heavy connected nonrecreational networks and anterior acquisition astatine introduction level.

"The manufacture does consciousness similar a concealed club," different postgraduate commented.

Many survey respondents were recovered to trust connected part-time enactment and aggregate jobs to prolong themselves.

"The UK textile manufacture is afloat of talented, ambitious graduates, but this survey shows that excessively galore are struggling to marque the modulation from acquisition into sustainable careers. These findings aren't astir a deficiency of talent, they're astir a deficiency of accessible routes into the industry," says Jeremy Somers, seat of TEX+.

"As TEX+ returns this year, we're bringing unneurotic education, manufacture and emerging endowment to make those captious connections. Through mentoring, networking and applicable support, we privation to assistance guarantee graduates don't conscionable participate the industry, but that they physique semipermanent careers wrong it."

TEX+ Showcase 2026

This week, TEX+ besides announced the winners of its 2026 prizes, which purpose to recognise exceptional textile graduates.

Presented astatine Chelsea College of Arts, the awards connection fiscal support, nonrecreational improvement and manufacture connections to participating graduates. Previous winners person gone connected to enactment with brands specified arsenic Nike, Chanel and Liberty.

Maia McLaren was awarded the Pentland Prize, which includes £1,000 and a enactment placement, portion Grace Holden and Xavier Theobald were some awarded the Liberty Fabrics Studio prizes, winning £500 each.

Three graduates besides secured places to grounds astatine Premiere Vision Paris, portion different secured a month-long placement astatine Sahara.

Somers added: "The TEX+ prizes recognise the outstanding creativity, innovation and method excellence emerging from the UK's textile graduates today. We're incredibly grateful to our sponsors and supporters, whose generosity enables america to observe exceptional endowment portion providing meaningful opportunities that assistance graduates instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful their careers."

"Textile graduates struggling to unafraid roles, contempt skills shortages" was primitively created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand.