Even though 2016 has only just dawned upon us and some News Year’s resolutions are yet to be broken, it is now the time when students start applying for graduate jobs as their journey at university draws to a close. It is sometimes hard to find the right balance between work and play whilst at university but the time will come when students have to decide what to do next when they are released into the big wide world.
A common misconception that students have is that their course alone will get them a job, however unfortunately this is not always the case. When it comes to the fashion industry in particular, we know for a fact that fashion courses do not properly prepare students for a career in the industry. The result of this means that employers expect students to undertake work experience whilst studying and often only take on graduates who have at least one year’s industry experience. Those who graduate without experience often struggle to secure a job, are unaware of the harsh reality of how the fashion industry works and are not prepared for the competitive environment that encompasses it. Students are often not introduced to other career paths within the fashion and clothing industry as so much emphasis is solely put on design. Many students leave university never hearing of positions such as production manager, quality controller, and garment technologist. These are all achievable positions with a Fashion Design degree and offer fantastic career paths and opportunities.
Here at Bridge and Stitch we often work with start-up clothing brands and see first-hand how competitive the industry is with only about 10% of the clothing production process being the design stage. Bridge and Stitch is an example of a company who relies heavily on students and graduates, having been established by Rachael Hobbs, a fashion design graduate herself. We understand the passion and determination students have for the fashion industry and enhance the skills they acquire in order to drive our business forward and in return, give students the valuable experience they need. We currently have two placement students who agree that they have learnt skills their course cannot cover. It is clear that these placement opportunities benefit both parties and are the way forward for us and for the fashion students to further their graduate prospects. All four of our full time employees are graduates of fashion courses so we are aware of the gaps in skills and knowledge that the students have coming straight from university.
Having graduated from the fashion course at Nottingham Trent University, our director, Rachael Hobbs, knows exactly the skills that the students come out with and how they need to be developed. Rachael commented, ‘what you are taught at university is not always applicable to the industry. Students are led to believe that the university practices that they learn are the only way and this is just not the case.’ It’s the skills issue that is a big problem for Rachael and is something that has to be rectified. She is of the strong belief that skills such as pattern cutting are often taught wrong and not to industry standard. Without these basic skills, graduate students are struggling to find employment.
Most graduate jobs require at least 1 year of industry experience yet many students don’t possess this upon graduating. Rachael believes ‘it would be beneficial for universities to offer mandatory sandwich courses so that students can take the fundamental skills learnt early on, develop them in the work place and then apply them in the final year.’ In turn, this would produce many more well-rounded and accomplished graduates who are prepared for the industry. When students produce garments, they are not provided with the knowledge or know-how to understand how suitable the designs would be for mass production or what the unit costs will be, for example. Overall, it is clear, according to Rachael, that students are unaware of the industry standards and the available opportunities whilst also lacking the essential skills and experience needed to secure that first graduate job.
Even though Rachael was taking her experience from Nottingham Trent University, it is a problem in many other universities all over the country. A Drapers article titled ‘De Montfort ramps up technical content’ from March 2011 highlighted what DMU called ‘its commitment to grass-roots manufacturing skills with the addition of more technical content on its various fashion and product design courses, following the closure of its Fashion Technology BSc course.’ (Drapers, March 2011) http://www.drapersonline.com/home/de-montfort-ramps-up-technical-content/5023886.fullarticle
This is an example of universities focusing on design courses rather than offering specific courses that provide the students with the skills necessary to enter the industry. Students’ portfolios are not varied enough for employers to believe that they are well rounded and prepared for the industry. This is something that a more in depth or specific course such as Fashion Technology would give you.
Drapers also ran a Save Our Skills (SOS) campaign as the skills gap started to become a national problem
On a more positive note, the Guardian highlights what the graduate job market will look like this year pointing out that, ‘there will be more graduate-level jobs in the UK than ever before.’ But similar to what has been mentioned above, ‘that doesn’t mean we can or should expect every new graduate to find work easily, or that those who don’t are failing.’ Of course it won’t be easy so it is imperative for graduates to make themselves more employable and this starts with looking for opportunities outside of university. Provided that the export markets pick up, there will be more opportunities for fashion graduates especially in the manufacturing sector. (Guardian, January 2016) http://www.theguardian.com/careers/2016/jan/18/what-will-the-graduate-job-market-look-like-in-2016
We believe that this is an appealing job market that can be filled by fashion graduates who aren’t necessarily aware of the fantastic employment opportunities. Have a look at one of our previous blog posts with more information on this.
In conclusion, we have a strong belief that university courses are a good platform to begin learning key skills but do not prepare students fully for the workplace. In order to be prepared, students need to get out of the classroom and get some valuable experience in their chosen sector.
We would recommend students to take the initiative and seek experience in the industry which can be invaluable in acquiring knowledge and contacts that you can call on following graduation. Growing businesses such as Bridge and Stitch rely on placement students from such courses as the industry starts to pick up again, which in turn gives students the experience of working in business and the know-how of the industry. Along with the skills they gain from the university course, students will only then be able to apply them in the fashion industry and get their foot in the door.
