Or has it? If that were really the case, then it would seem a little strange for the government to be launching a Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design for the 14-19 curriculum in schools. But that is exactly what it is about to do next year.

The fact that it's being launched is a sign that manufacturing in the UK is still being taken seriously - and for good reason. An estimated 3.7 million people work in manufacturing industries - around 13% of the UK's workforce. It also accounts for around 20% of GDP. Unlike the high-volume, mass-production of yesteryear however, today's manufacturers are small enterprises who concentrate on so-called ‘lean manufacturing', i.e. focusing on smaller, high-end production runs. It's estimated that three quarters of manufacturers are companies of 10 or less employees. And this figure may rise as the trend towards localised production becomes more popular with consumers.

However, fewer and fewer school and college leavers are choosing manufacturing as a career. Derek Jones, head of the development team behind the new Diploma, thinks image and public perception puts a lot of young people off. "Manufacturing is not very high on the careers wish-list of many young people, largely because they do not know as much about the industry as they do, say, media or retail," he says. "A lot of young people wrongly think that manufacturing only offers boring, low-paid jobs and that it isn't very exciting."

It's an issue that is beginning to concern companies in the UK's garment industry. "A serious lack of adequate training could spell the end of British-based machinists," says Anne Yarker, HR manager at corporate clothing firm Simon Jersey. Experts within the firm say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find staff with the necessary skills or qualifications, and the cost involved in training up individuals is prohibitive.

The new diploma won't give training as specific as how to print or embroider a garment, but it will have modules on technical textiles, leather goods, footwear and apparel and process manufacturing, all highly relevant to the garment industry. It means that school leavers will come into employment with a broad knowledge of how manufacturing works across all sectors. Perhaps more importantly, it will have aroused their interest in these processes, which can only be a good thing.

A good thing if you're an employer with a long-term view perhaps, but what about those already in the industry? As far as operating machinery and software is concerned, most of the training available is provided by suppliers.

Inks specialist Sericol has been running screenprinting courses for many years, and currently offers eight different courses, including two focused on textiles. According to Chris Jordan, international training manager at Sericol, demand for textile printing courses in the UK and Europe has remained strong over the past ten years, despite the impact of offshore production. And the benefits of taking the course are tangible for workers and employers alike: not only does it establish good technical practice to those working in an environment where toxic substances and potentially hazardous equipment are used; the courses also provide a chance for the students to exchange ideas and tips and even gain a few more contacts in the industry.

"We get a lot of companies sending employees to us to get trained up," he says. "The industry is always evolving and it does make a return on the investment." Sericol's courses run for just two or three days and candidates get a certificate at the end of the course. As well as the two textile courses ‘Awareness of textile applications' and ‘Transfer systems for textiles', Sericol also run courses in pre-press techniques with film, colour matching and four colour process printing.

However, courses as specific as these are rarely found at local colleges. "The NVQs, which are funded by the government, are too broad," points out Anne Yarker. "Whilst they provide an overall introduction, they don't go into enough detail about specific garment construction.

"There are some more specific courses but they're too expensive, especially considering that individuals would need more than one qualification," she continues. "It's no use one person knowing about one garment; to provide a viable employment opportunity they need a broad range of skills. They can't afford to pay for training themselves, and it isn't something companies can pick up the bill for."

Get involved

Given the obvious benefits of training courses, it does seem that there is room for more relevant and specific courses in this industry. Skillsfast-UK, a public body set up to address the growing skills gap in the garment and textile industries, is now asking employers to point out what they are. Not only that, it takes action, as demonstrated by a recent pilot scheme that led to the creation of a whole new qualification based on the needs of industry.

Leeds-based BMB Menswear and Altrincham-based Stirling Group (which supplies Marks and Spencer amongst others) were brought together to help create a qualification for warehousing and distribution staff in the textile industry. The Distribution Services for Textile Industry (DSTI) vocational qualification, which is now on the national qualifications framework and taught at Blackburn College, was initially based on the in-house training schemes of both companies.

It's one of many that Skillfast-UK hopes will be set up with the direct needs of industry in mind. One of Skillfast-UK's remits is to make sure that qualifications reflect the skills that employees really need. Linda Florance, chief executive of Skillfast UK says: "If this policy is to work, we must make sure that these in-house qualifications teach skills that meet an independent standard - one that is recognised by the industry as a whole - not just the skills required by one employer.  ‘Nationalising' in-house qualifications is a good move, but we must be careful that we don't simply assume that the larger companies' training schemes necessarily contain all the skills employees need. We need to make sure that in-house qualifications are based on these industry-endorsed standards if they are to have any credibility with the sector as a whole."

It seems that the race is on to get training courses in place before some of these skills disappear altogether. As Yarker points out: "The trouble now is that there is a danger of running out of skilled workers. There are no new youngsters coming onto the market, and those that are already qualified will all be retired in five to ten years. Not only does this leave a huge skills gap, but it means there's no-one to carry out future training."

The best way of delivering this training is one of the topics up for discussion. "One possible solution which we advocate is the introduction of an apprenticeship," says Yarker. "As well as paper qualifications, the learners get hands-on experience. Really, the issue of training needs addressing and revamping from top to bottom. We think there should be a think-tank of industry insiders to get together to discuss the future."

So if you have a big idea for improving the level of training available for the garment decoration industry, you no longer have an excuse for keeping it to yourself.

For more information go to www.skillfast-uk.org (click on ‘I'm an employer' then on ‘Skills HQ' for details on how to submit your suggestions for training courses)

Also see http://www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk/

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