Textile technologist job

Clothing and textile technologists play an active part in the process of identifying and evaluating potential fabrics and materials for use in a given product.

A clothing and textile technologist works with a wide range of materials, including natural and synthetic fibers, leather, fur, metals, and plastics. They also deal with a variety of textiles. As a technologist, one of your responsibilities will be to conduct quality control tests and to obtain fabrics or textiles that are appropriate for the application.

You will work on the creation of goods, boosting production efficiency and quality while also acting as a liaison with people who are engaged in the manufacturing process.

The apparel and textile sectors are intricately intertwined, and the end products of these two industries are very diverse, ranging from garments to home and industrial fabrics.

Garment Technologist is another name that may be given to this function in the workplace.

Responsibilities

Clothing and textile technologists in smaller organizations are often responsible for both garments and fabrics, but clothing and textile technologists in larger enterprises sometimes have separate responsibilities for each of these categories. In general, some of the jobs include the following:

Developing synthetic fibers while also evaluating the quality of natural fibers

the process of turning fibers into yarn, followed by knitting or weaving the yarn to create cloth

manufacturing materials that are not woven

finding the most recent trends, advances, and breakthroughs in the cloth industry

maintaining control over the dying, printing, and finishing processes

providing a high level of quality in areas such as strength, durability, colorfastness, and resistance to chemicals and water

providing advice to colleagues in commercial on the more technical parts of the company

communicating with designers and modifying ideas so that they are compatible with manufacturing procedures

constructing and sizing pre-production samples of clothing

locating sources for textiles and accessories

doing quality assessments of the components and looking over the finished product to ensure its excellence

addressing questions and concerns about products, including those raised by distributors and end users.

Technologists that focus primarily on research and product development have the potential to also:

Conduct research on the discovery of novel applications for yarns.

Create chemicals that may be applied to textiles in order to make them more watertight, flameproof, and shrink-proof.

Experiment with different fabrics to find ways to enhance their appearance, texture, and longevity.

Salary

It's possible that your starting income will be somewhere in the range of £16,000 to £18,000 if you take a job as an assistant textile scientist. Between £20,000 and £23,000 is a possible salary range for fully certified technicians or those working on graduate training courses inside major corporations.

You may make between $25,000 and $35,000 with three to five years of expertise under your belt.

Those with a significant amount of experience who have worked in high jobs or who have been tasked with the responsibility of management research development may earn between £40,000 and £55,000.

A corporate vehicle, a pension, and health insurance are some of the additional perks that may be provided.

Larger stores often provide the highest pay rates, although possibilities to work in head office tasks are becoming more scarce.

The monetary amounts listed are just meant to serve as a reference point.

Time spent working

Although the standard workday runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., it is often essential to stay late in the office when there are strict deadlines to adhere to. When working in a production setting, technologists may be forced to work irregular hours, including nights and weekends.

There are a variety of views and practices held by businesses about career pauses and part-time employment, but both of these options are feasible.

What may be anticipated

There is often a significant amount of engagement in the manufacturing process, regardless of whether work is performed in a laboratory, factory, or office setting.

There are jobs to be had in almost every region; however, there are typically more jobs in areas that have a history of manufacturing, such as London, the North West, West Yorkshire, the Midlands, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Other areas with a history of manufacturing include Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Self-employment and freelance job opportunities are uncommon, with the possible exception of occasional consulting work if one has amassed a large amount of expertise.

It is common practice to travel throughout the course of a working day in order to meet with clients, manufacturers, and suppliers. When traveling for business, overnight stays are sometimes required.

There is a growing emphasis on working with people from other countries. As a result of the increasing amount of production that takes place elsewhere, overseas travel is becoming more prevalent. Southern Europe and East Asia are two of the most common locations.

Qualifications

To become a clothing or textile technologist, you will often need to get a bachelor's degree or higher in a field that is related to the job, such as the physical, mathematics, or applied sciences, or engineering.

Employers are particularly interested in potential employees who have earned a qualification in one of the following fields:

the chemical and physical sciences respectively

technology applied to textiles or garment technology

calculation and mathematical study

academic study of fashion

science or technology pertaining to materials

science or technology pertaining to polymers

engineering related to production or manufacturing

The study of textiles, often known as textile technology

complete quality management.

There is a possibility of entry without a degree or HND in some cases; however, it is very probable that this entry will be at a more basic technical level. After gaining more experience and obtaining other certifications, you will be able to advance to the position of clothing or textile technologist.

It is not required to have a related postgraduate qualification, although having one might be beneficial, particularly for graduates who do not have a first degree that is relevant to the field.

Skills

You will need to demonstrate that:

a deep understanding of the relevant technologies and solid experience in their application

the capacity to operate well as a member of a group and to communicate effectively with coworkers who are assigned to different roles

good negotiation skills

the capacity to organize one's priorities and shift focus between various activities as needed.

problem-solving abilities and decision-making capacity

abilities in organization, with the purpose of ensuring that timetables are observed to and that deadlines are fulfilled

a curiosity for and familiarity with several aspects of computer technology

Language skills may come in handy given the worldwide nature of this sector and the possibility that you may be needed to make trips to suppliers located in other countries.

Practice in the workplace

Your prospects of finding work in the textile and garment industries will significantly increase if you have relevant work experience. Either participating in a work placement that is required for your program or organizing your own independent job experience would be beneficial.

Make contact with businesses that manufacture the kinds of textiles you're interested in working with, and inquire about internship and work experience possibilities with those businesses. Other forms of part-time employment that are pertinent to the textile business might be helpful as well.

While you are still enrolled in college, you should make every effort to become a student member of a professional organization such as The Textile Institute. By reading periodicals such as Drapers, you may stay current on the latest changes in the business.

It is very necessary to do in-depth research on possible employers and to be ready to submit speculative applications at an early stage of your senior year. Networking is necessary for the acquisition of many first positions.

To get some level of familiarity with the position, it can be required to start off by signing a contract for a shorter period of time or getting some work experience. There are a few big businesses that provide graduate training programs.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

Manufacturing firms, retail establishments, and the apparel sector are frequent places to look for employment for textile technicians. On the other hand, there are a great number of other possible employment available in a range of fields.

For instance, there are specialized employers available in the field of industrial textiles in the following areas:

geotextiles

medicinal fabrics

apparel, furniture, and ropes specifically for industrial use.

The production of technical textiles is the industry's most important contributor to growth. This entails the development of technology for performance textiles and nonwovens for sectors including but not limited to the following:

aerospace

agriculture

automotive

contruction

defence

detergent

healthcare

IT

paper

transportation.

Some small and medium-sized businesses are known for their expertise in certain manufacturing processes, like as weaving, dying, or spinning, for example.

The interior textiles business is a large employer in the UK and focuses mostly on importing materials for their products.

There is a possibility of employment in research and development among the many firms that make up industry. In academic institutions, responsibilities of this kind are often paired with teaching duties.

Try looking for employment opportunities at:

Association of Companies That Supply the Clothing Industry in the United Kingdom (ASBCI)

Jobs for Drapers

Human Resources for the Retail Industry

The Institute of Textiles and Apparel

You may also get information on graduate recruiting by consulting the websites of textile and garment manufacturers, as well as career services, particularly at educational institutions that provide courses that are relevant to your interests.

Maintaining an awareness of the latest advances in your field as well as any developing trends may be beneficial to your job hunt and can even lead to the discovery of new work chances. Current examples of developing trends in textile technology and fabric technology include the production of sustainable fashion, innovation in smart clothes (clothes that contain modern technology), and the use of artificial intelligence in design and production processes, as well as in relation to customer experience. Other examples of developing trends in textile technology and fabric technology include the production of smart clothes that contain modern technology.

Specific directories, such as the Professional Clothing Director-e, are available and might be helpful for speculative application purposes.

Vacancies for technologists are handled by the industry's active recruiting firms, who have specialists in the field. These are the following:

Personnel in the Fashion and Retail Industries

United Fashion Brands

Improvement of one's profession

Your employer's size and the industry you work in will determine the kind of training opportunities that are made accessible to you. It is common practice for younger technicians to get instruction on the job from more seasoned coworkers.

Graduate students may find more formal and organized training programs offered by some of the major shops and manufacturers. Through the completion of several tasks, the focus is placed on expanding both the academic and technical expertise of the graduate.

In addition to this, there will be in-depth, company-specific training on manufacturing processes, quality assurance methods and standards, and familiarization with the locations of suppliers' facilities. Traveling to other countries can be required in order to see some sites. In addition, if it is deemed necessary, a more advanced management responsibility training course might be offered.

Graduates who enter the workforce via these training programs will get an understanding of the company's production, quality control, and cost structures, as well as the significance of clear communication between suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers.

There are other opportunities for training in the outside world. The Textile Institute provides candidates with the opportunity to earn a variety of professional degrees, including Fellowship, Associateship, and Licentiateship levels. You will require either a bachelor's degree or a higher diploma in a field that is related to textiles in order to enter this field. In addition, you will need anywhere from one to five years of relevant work experience. The topics covered in the courses include those related to fibers and fabric, apparel and footwear, interior and technical textiles, and other technical textiles.

Because of the growing importance of information technology capabilities, several businesses are funding IT training. Given the global scope of the company's operations, it is possible that employees may get assistance in developing their language abilities.

Prospects for one's career

In the first stages of your career, you will likely be accountable for a certain component of the production or development process. This might be anything from a single step to the whole process.

As you go farther in your work, you'll find that several opportunities for professional growth and advancement become available to you. You can decide to transition away from technical management and into management of an entire department, with the goal of eventually climbing higher on the management ladder. You might also make the choice to specialize in a certain field, such as ethical trade standards, or in a particular field of technical service, such as color management or quality management systems.

There are other opportunities for technicians to further their careers in the areas of purchasing, selling, and marketing, and some technologists use their technical skills in an indirect capacity in general management tasks or quality control.

When you've achieved the level of senior technologist, there are fewer options for you to work in positions that are strictly technical. The finest opportunities for advancement may be found by diversifying one's management responsibilities into adjacent or related fields.

If you have sufficient expertise, another option to explore is working as an independent consultant. If you were working as a consultant, you would be responsible for negotiating your own terms and conditions with the customer. One other choice you have is to start your own textile business and run it as owner and manager.