The UK Fashion and Textile (UKFT) association is launching two new initiatives to help support future talent in the industry. The mission is to promote the growth of entire supply chain across the UK. The projects aim at promoting the wealth of opportunities to young people working with a UK manufacturer. The first project is a campaign to promote a better understanding of sourcing, production and the benefits of UK manufacturing to the next generation of buyers, designers and entrepreneurs. UKFT will work with five universities a year for the next three years to help students get a better understanding of the manufacturing environment. The second is an initiative to help address one of the major barriers to growth faced by UK manufacturers - attracting new talent into the entire supply chain.

There are thousands of job vacancies in the UK fashion and textile manufacturing sector. Right now around 1,20,000 people are employed in the UK manufacturing industry and collectively they produce over nine billion pounds of fashion and textiles every year. UKFT is targeting more than 1,50,000 people and enabling them to have a go at making things, to talk to local employers about job opportunities and to find out about the new apprenticeships that are available for the sector.