In this guest blog for Skills Federation, John West, Director of Skills and Training at UKFT highlights their latest projects to boost skills development across the UK fashion and textile industry.
The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) is the largest network for fashion and textiles in the UK. As the sector’s leading trade association and Sector Skills Body, we are committed to supporting sustainable growth across the entire UK fashion and textile supply chain.
Our network brings together brands, designers, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, recyclers, educators, and innovators to promote both their businesses and the industry as a whole, in the UK and internationally.
We provide practical advice and technical support to help member companies grow and trade internationally. This includes guidance on UK and global regulations, labelling, safety standards, sustainability, trade rules, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
With a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, UKFT actively shapes the circular economy. Through research and collaboration with reuse and recycling specialists, we are building a sector-wide network to create sustainable change from fibre to end of lifecycle.
Key projects in 2026
UKFT is working with Skills England in its assessment plan reform, helping shape assessment frameworks to better align with the sector’s future skills requirements.
We are also working to elevate the skills of the UK fashion and textile workforce, helping businesses navigate complex global supply chains while supporting a resilient and innovative UK manufacturing sector. Building on research insights, we are developing a training plan for 2027–2029 to address priority skills needs.
We have a strong network of universities, colleges and private training providers specialising in UK fashion and textiles skills and training within our Education Partner network. We are currently reviewing membership benefits, enhancing communication channels, and evaluating pilot employability events. The annual Education Partner Conference is scheduled for May 2026.
We introduced our UKFT Approved programme in 2018 as an industry recognised review and endorsement process for fashion and textile training courses in the UK. Following the success around vocational qualifications, we extended the programme into CPD and will include Higher Education later this year.
UKFT promotes opportunities in our sector to young people, new entrants and career changers at careers and job fairs across the UK. We are exploring gamified interactive approaches to engage young, tech-savvy talent and strengthen the pipeline for future industry roles.
Impact so far
We introduced a pilot programme with HM Prison & Probation Service for our specialist Production Sewing Machinist course in 2023. Since then, more than 100 people have completed the training from within the HM Prison network, covering both trainers and inmates.
We have had more than 8,000 work-based learning vocational qualification registrations across the UK since taking on Sector Skills Body responsibilities in 2017, covering everything from textile manufacturing, footwear, leather goods and textile care services to bespoke cutter and tailor
Working with industry, we have created 15 Apprenticeship standards in England, three Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.
Two further initiatives help support a thriving fashion and textile sector. The UKFT Education Partner Network brings together universities, colleges and specialist training providers to strengthen links between education and industry. It helps ensure courses, skills and research stay relevant to current and emerging industry requirements, and supports a pipeline of work-ready graduates and trainees.
UKFT Futures is a careers and opportunities platform connecting students, career changers, and industry entrants with pathways into UK fashion and textiles. It provides role profiles, information on apprenticeships and courses, promoting careers and live job postings to help new talent engage with employers and training providers.
Recent achievements
UKFT has led the creation of new sector-specific National Occupational Standards (NOS) Suite – Sustainability in fashion and textile manufacturing. These standards define the skills and knowledge that workers need to support sustainable practices (including recycling, reuse, reduction of raw materials and environmentally responsible production processes) ensuring that sustainability is embedded in everyday roles on the factory floor.
In Scotland, UKFT has contributed to the development and rollout of an updated Modern Apprenticeship framework at SCQF Level 5 in fashion and textile manufacture and aftercare. This framework strengthens progression pathways for apprentices, helping employers attract and train new entrants with qualifications aligned to industry needs.
UKFT has also expanded its UKFT Approved continuing professional development (CPD) scheme, validating short courses and professional training that meet industry relevant skills requirements.
UKFT is preparing to extend the approval scheme into higher education, so that degree level and postgraduate programmes align with industry skill needs and can be recognised under the UKFT Approved programme.
Future vision
UKFT’s mission is to inspire and empower the UK fashion and textile sector to recruit, train, and retain a world-class skilled workforce. Through skills development, industry innovation and sustainable practices, we aim to ensure the UK remains globally competitive while building a resilient and future-ready workforce.
