FTA and Fashion Enter Ltd CEO Jenny Holloway explains…
Look at this photo. This is Louise who was on our technical apprenticeship six-years ago when she worked for New Look.
I literally bumped into her at the ASOS.com #Suppliers meeting and her fashion career is flying. Louise is now using all those wonderful technical skills in the menswear department at ASOS.com. Fantastic win for all!
Re-shoring of garment manufacturing is most definitely happening here and now and we have a skills crisis. The crisis is both for retailers who have a shortage of technicians and manufacturing with skilled cutters, stitchers and patter-cutters. The Levy encourages retailers to invest in training and credit to companies such as Harrods, Gieves & Hawkes and Topshop / Topman who have just embraced the Level 3 and 5 apprenticeship. They absolutely see the benefits with their bright go-getter apprentices that make a valuable contribution from day one.
New systems take time – the Levy does need fine-tuning and the unspent £3bn reflects that but retailers invest now for the future. Dividends will occur in more ways than one!