Proskills: Making Skills Work

Typical Tasks

General Skills required

Experience requested

Qualifications

• Start, stop and control the speed of sewing machines.
• Guide the material under needles following edges, seams or markings.
• Assemble pieces using various sewing techniques such as hemming and seaming.
• Adjust needles and threads according to the thickness of the material being sewn.
• Examine sections or finished articles for defects.
• Cut excess material and thread from items.
• Carry out basic maintenance of hand tools and machines.
• Assemble pieces or sew the whole product.
• Sew piping, edgings and decorative trim.
• Supervise and co-ordinate the activities of junior staff.

• Able to work quickly and accurately.
• Normal colour vision.
• Ability to perform manual tasks.
• Able to work as part of a team.

This will be dependent on the job role at which you enter the industry; however
if you have little or no experience 3 or more GCSEs at grade A to C are valued by employers.

A general interest in the craft

There are no fixed entry level requirements.

Qualifications valued by employers may include:

• GCSE’s, ideally grade A to C
• A Level’s
• NVQ L2/L3 in Making and Installing Furniture.
• NVQ L3 in Making and repairing Hand-Crafted Furniture.
• City and Guilds L4 Creative Arts Higher Professional Development Diploma.
• Furniture Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship.