Free Licence to Sew course aims to fill textiles skills shortage

A new project that trains people to become textile machinists in 10 weeks for free is being launched in the hope it will help fill a "major skills shortage".

At one time, around one third of the world's cotton goods were produced in Lancashire.

But in the early 1950s, with production moving abroad, many mills were closed.

The Licence to Sew project in Skelmersdale is described as "the next part of the Industrial Revolution".

Funded by the government, the project is open to anybody in West Lancashire who is over 17.

The aim is to take local people and, over the course of 10 weeks, train them up to be skilled textile machinists.

Kelly Gibson had a career in hairdressing for over 20 years but decided to use the scheme to retrain so she could work alongside looking after her young son.

"I was looking for a new trade rather than just a job" she said. "But I didn't think I'd get this far."

For Gaynor Runciman, Licence to Sew has put her on the path to work.

"It's given me a good outlook" she said. "And I probably would be unemployed without this."

The free programme is organised by West Lancashire Borough Council in partnership with The Sewing Rooms - a local social enterprise.

The organisation's founder, Paula Gamester MBE, said their motto was "we sew and we're fabulous".

"To see the progression and the skills that the women have gained it's absolutely amazing" she said.

Celia Thornley, from the UK Fashion and Textile Association, said the industry had "a major skills shortage" when it came to sewing - something she hoped the project would go some way to solving.

At the end of the course, participants are guaranteed a job interview with a local manufacturing firm.

The aim now is for the project to be rolled out nationally.

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