Ruth Winterton

Forecasting skill needs in the UK clothing industry

This paper reviews two recent projects dealing with training and skill needs in the British clothing sector undertaken to implement the government’s policies to increase commitment to vocational training and avoid skill shortages: the People Skills Scoreboard and Skills Foresight for the clothing sector. Despite the dramatic contraction of the sector at the end of the 1990s, clothing enterprises in 2001 were still experiencing chronic recruitment difficulties and skill shortages. Moreover, irrespective of skills gaps in the existing workforce and evidence that training is associated with business success, clothing companies remain reluctant to provide adequate training to meet future skills needs, an attitude that is both a cause and consequence of difficulties in retaining skilled labour.