There is still time to apply for funding towards the costs of sending young textile technicians on overseas training courses.

UKFT has secured support from The Worshipful Company of Weavers, The Worshipful Company of Drapers and The Clothworkers’ Company to match-fund the costs of in-depth training for young textile technicians, up to £1,500 per person. The scheme is predominantly aimed at technicians in weaving positions but we welcome applications for associated areas of activity.

As companies invest in new textile technology, the requirement for highly-skilled textile technicians has never been more important but this type of in-depth training is not currently available in the UK.

Training is carried out by machinery builders at overseas training schools and due to its specialised nature, is extremely expensive.

The scheme is open to companies across the UK to train textile technicians under the age of 30.

Martin Jenkins, Project Manager at UKFT, said: “This type of training is a critical way of ensuring that the UK textile sector remains competitive against global competition. Employers across the UK can now access funding to train textile technicians to allow the industry to capitalise on all the opportunities that exist for further growth.

“UKFT is deeply grateful to the Weavers’, Drapers’ and Clothworkers’ Companies for their support in upskilling the textile technicians of the future.”

Companies interested in accessing funding should contact: martin.jenkins@ukft.org.