A Textile Care Operative working in a laundry is involved in the process of sorting and cleaning textile; using specialist machines, techniques, and processes to clean and dry textile items. They need to be practical and logical and have good team working skills.

What would you do?

Laundry Textile Care Operative duties may vary depending on the size of the laundry. Items for cleaning can include anything from restaurant and hotel linen to chefs’ wear and specialist work wear. Those working in a small, high street laundry may also be involved in customer service roles.

Day to day tasks include:

• Setting up and operating specialist machinery
• Sorting and categorising laundry
• Monitoring the cleaning process and dealing with defects
• Drying, pressing, folding an packing clean laundry

Where would you work?

A Laundry Textile Care Operative may be employed by a large commercial laundry, a laundry attached to a service i.e. hospital or a small High St laundry servicing local businesses or the general public. Many laundries are open six or seven days a week. This may include nights, evenings and weekends. Part-time work and overtime are commonly available.

What would you be paid?

For a typical working week of approx. 39 hours:

• Textile Care Operative starting salary on average is £10,500-£12,000 per year
• An experienced Textile Care Operative salary on average is £18,700-£24,000 per year

Pay rates vary depending on age, experience, location and the size of the company. Additional benefits may include, pension and health care. Many companies offer overtime, bonuses in order to meet deadlines.

Textile Care Operative Apprenticeships: Employers, by law must pay the government’s apprenticeship minimum wage rate. Research show that many textile employers supplement this rate of pay. www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

Will you need qualifications or training?

Training is provided on the job, under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. Many organisations will offer you the chance to work towards vocational qualifications, such as a PAA\VQ-SET Certificate in Laundry & Dry Cleaning Operations and Textile Aftercare or an SVQ in Laundry & Dry Cleaning Operations and Service Support.
The Guild of Cleaners and Launderers offer a variety of qualifications in practical laundry subjects.
SATRA and the Laundry Technology Centre also offer a number of short courses related to laundry.

What are the career prospects?

With experience and training, a Textile Care Operative could progress into a Dry Cleaning business management role or move into technical management, textile technology or staff training.

How secure is the future of this career?

The UK’s world-class textile manufacture base is growing, thriving and continually investing. Sector employment continues to grow steadily from 97,000 in 2011 to 108,000 in 2016, with an added 19,500 self-employed and research estimates the creation of 20,000 new jobs by 2020.

The number of UK textile & apparel manufacturing businesses has increased annually from 7190 in 2013 to 8075 in 2017 with forecast of further growth.

Textile goods exported across the globe continues to grow with export increases recorded at £250M in March 2016 to £273M in March 2017.

UK Fashion & textile manufacture covers traditional craft to technical textiles and has a production value of £9.1BN, add the wide fashion sector this increases to £28.1BN sector – 4.7% of the total UK economy.

For further information go to: ukft.org

Where can you find job vacancies?

Vacancies are advertised across the UK with concentration in the Northwest, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Check out the latest vacancies on the sites below:

Indeed
Total Jobs
Reed
Drapers Jobs

Textile Care Operative Apprenticeship vacancies:

Some apprenticeship vacancies are ‘open to application’. With details on how to apply within the job vacancy details, these can be found on the job sites listed above. Apprenticeship vacancies can also be found via the Find an Apprenticeship Service (England). For further information, advise and tips on how to apply for an apprenticeship vacancy see the UCAS site.

www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales)

The websites above are external and the number of job vacancies may vary. Check daily to see new opportunities as they are posted!

Interested?

For more information see the following website:

Textile Services Association
Guild of Cleaners and Launderers
SATRA