Textiles, Clothing and Footwear
The Textiles, Clothing and Footwear industry is grouped into three broad areas:
- Production of clothing, textiles, footwear, leather goods and technical textiles
- Provision of services including fashion and textile design, dry cleaning operations, laundry operations and clothing and footwear repairs
- Processing and manufacturing of natural (wool, cotton and leather) and synthetic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and shade cloth.
|

|

|

|
This industry is evolving, partly due to new technologies and materials such as technical textiles and nonwoven fibres, which has led to further increases in the demand for a STEM-skilled workforce. The following areas are experiencing growth as a result of research and development:
- Carbon fibres and composites in clothing and footwear
- Functional fibrous materials used in medical textiles, super hydrophobic textiles and protective garments and gloves
- Nanofibers used in filtration, tissues engineering, energy generation and reinforcement sensors
- Biomedical applications of natural fibre structures.
According to the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast:
Australian operators are using new technology to develop high performance fibres with improved durability, strength, moisture absorption and flame resistance. New manufacturing management software is also being used to optimise production processes allowing better inventory management, faster turnaround times and greater market responsiveness.
Further, in their skills forecast the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear IRC identified the following skills Diploma graduates can bring to newly established businesses:
Diploma graduates are securing jobs with young designers who have established businesses after graduating with a university degree. The experience has been that university graduates have business skills but little practical skill in pattern making, product development and the development of Tech Packs77 for overseas production. Diploma graduates can bring these skills to the business.
The forecast goes on to explain that:
With a predominantly female workforce in some sectors of the TCF industry, Vogue Australia has identified the need to increase the number of women with the STEM skills to support technological development in the industry.
And,
A shift in Australia to more niche and bespoke products in the TCF industry relies on the availability of quality craftsmanship and strong technical skills. The Alvanon survey of the international apparel industry found that respondents emphasised the need for technical training rather than leadership or soft skills. In their resulting report, the authors stated that because technical skills are outsourced by many businesses, universities have stopped providing these skills in fashion qualifications. Additionally, the introduction of sophisticated digital technologies into the industry has made it hard for educators to keep pace with the technical skills that are applied in the industry.