The just released National Skills Priority List (SPL) of Australia now includes eight key fashion and textile skills in the manufacturing space that have escalated to the 'strong demand' category.
- The Australian Fashion Council has described the move as "a momentous occasion for the fashion & textiles industry."
The Skills Priority List: The SPL provides a detailed view of occupations in shortage, nationally, and by state and territory, as well as the future demand for occupations in Australia, which informs the targeting of policy initiatives.
The 2022 List has identified key fashion and textile skills as an area of strong future demand. These skill sets include:
- Footwear production machine operator
- Hide and skin processing machine operator
- Knitting machine operator
- Textile dyeing and finishing machine operator
- Weaving machine operator
- Yarn carding and spinning machine operator
- Textile and footwear production machine operators
In addition, demand for sewing machinists has risen from ‘moderate’ to ‘strong’ and an emerging demand (moderate) was identified for 'clothing trades workers', which includes apparel cutters, clothing patternmakers, dressmakers and tailors.
How This Will Help Matters: The move, according to AFC, sends a strong signal to the fashion industry on the importance of this industry going forward, and the resurgence of manufacturing in Australia.
- Strong industries are built on qualified skills, and this is a step towards rebuilding the systems and infrastructure needed for the Australian fashion and textile industry.
- Identifying these high demand skill sets is the first step to increasing the accessibility and quality of vocational and educational training (VET) programs to support new career pathways and government funded apprenticeships for the fashion and textile industry.
- Government-funded apprenticeships will ease the financial burden of manufacturers who are already under pressure to find and train new workers to meet the increased production demand.
- With this list of high demand occupations, the government can also activate a range of additional policy levers, including visas to increase skilled migration to fulfil these in demand jobs.
The AFC Backgrounder: In May this year, the AFC released its industry modelling report, Fashion Evolution: From Farm to Industry - Accelerating the economic impact of a sector powered by women.
- This report solidified the AFC’s four foundational policy pillars that, with industry and government working together, have the potential to place our sector on an accelerated growth trajectory whilst at the same time, accelerating economic opportunities for the women powering this industry.
