Sustainable manufacturing to help shaping industry's future

29 Sep '11

2 min read

Members of the fashion and textiles industry are being given the chance to help shape the new National Occupational Standards (NOS) that will outline the essential skills for sustainable manufacturing and operations.

Skillset are consulting with as many employers, unions and trade bodies as possible to ensure that the new Standards reflect the needs of all parts of the industry.

NOS provide a clear description of what people need to be able to do in order to perform their job competently. They can be used to support organisational development, recruitment and selection, job descriptions and specifications, and to identify training needs.

Sustainability is a growing area for the fashion and textiles sector due to increasing legislation, the need to reduce production costs and changing consumer attitudes. Meeting environmental challenges will impact manufacturing firms in a variety of ways, affecting the availability of raw materials, transportation costs, energy and water use and the effective disposal of waste.

To cope with these changes, the sector will increasingly require individuals with new skills, such as understanding how legislation and sustainability impacts upon businesses, and how to effectively respond to these demands.

Skillset's chief executive, Dinah Caine, said: "These developments present our industry with both challenges and opportunities. We want to make sure that the voice of the industry is heard in these consultations so that these Standards are as relevant and useful as possible."

National Occupational Standards (NOS) provide a clear description of what people need to be able to do in order to perform their job competently.

Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the Creative Industries. SSCs are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenges by sector.

Skillset

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