Are you creative with an eye for detail? An apprenticeship in Garment Making could be for you!
What is a Garment Maker?
Garment Makers use a range of cutting and sewing techniques to manufacture clothing. They are able to produce a garment from the start of the process to the finalised product, this can include pattern making, cutting, stitching and finishing. The occupation falls into multiple industries, including manufacturing, creative and design sectors across the apparel industry.
The general purpose of a Garment Maker is to create garments – bringing the design to life, following specifications and quality standards. They may work on one-off products for specific customers or garment samples to be replicated. In their daily work, an employee in this role interacts with personnel involved in garment design, development and production.
Day to day tasks
Day to day tasks can include:
- Interpreting garment designs
- Cutting garments from cloth
- Sewing cut pieces to create a garment
- Finishing garment i.e. button attach, pressing, embellishments
An employee in this role will be responsible for the pursuit of excellence in relation to the assembly, finish and look of the end product. In each stage of the construction of the garment, they need to meet the design brief, which includes specifications and quality standards. You can read more about the core occupation duties here.
Experience as a garment maker can open doors into a variety of different career options, such as sample machinist, product technologist, fashion designer and with additional training could move into roles within tailoring or buying.
Based on current data and according to UKFT.org, an average starting salary
can vary between £16,000 – £25,000 per year. Experienced garment makers annual
salary varies from £30,000- £40,000.
Desired Characteristics
Every role has skills that are desired on a personal and professional level, for a Garment Maker the below points are key in the role:
- Health and safety first attitude, for example prioritises the health, safety and welfare of self and others over other demands
- Takes ownership for work, for example accepts responsibilities, demonstrates initiative, motivated and self-managing
- Team player, for example builds co-operative and respectful working relationships across all relevant levels and department; takes account of equality and diversity interactions
- Committed to continued professional development, for example reflects on knowledge, skills and behaviors, seeks opportunities to develop and advance in response to the evolving production environment and technologies
Entry Requirements
Each employer has their own requirements when choosing apprentices however the following information is common within apprenticeship hiring:
In most cases, some sewing experience is required, this is dependent on the employer/organisation.
Apprentices will be expected to have achieved a level 2 English and Math prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. Certificates for proof of this will be required. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and Math minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative and can be used instead of the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
Conclusion
An apprenticeship in Garment Making offers an exciting career path, and joining one of our apprenticeships in this field could be just the beginning.
If you think this sounds along the lines of an apprenticeship you would be interested in then you can find more information by exploring our website on a series of articles from our coaches and our (past and present) apprentices or you can take a browse directly at what apprenticeships we have on offer here.
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