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Textile operative

Textile operatives spin natural and synthetic material into yarns and fabrics for use in clothing, furnishings and industrial products.

Average salary (a year)

£13,000 Starter

to

£25,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

41 to 43 a week

You could work

between 8am and 6pm on shifts

How to become a textile operative

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

College

You could do a college course, which may help you when you start looking for work. Courses include:

  • Level 1 Certificate in Textiles
  • Level 2 Certificate in Fashion and Textiles

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

More information

Apprenticeship

You could start by doing a textile manufacturing operative intermediate apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More information

Direct application

You can apply directly for work. There are no particular requirements although experience in textile manufacturing will be helpful.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • the ability to work on your own
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • observation and recording skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

  • operating machine looms that knit, weave and loop threads together
  • preparing fibres, making sure they are combed, cleaned and twisted into yarns
  • spinning fibres and winding them onto bobbins or cones
  • treating fabrics to make them stain or crease resistant
  • cleaning production areas

Working environment

You could work in a factory or in a workshop.

Your working environment may be noisy.

Career path and progression

You could you could move into a machine maintenance job or quality control. You might also get promotion to become a production supervisor then shift manager.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a textile operative right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

GCSE Maths (GCSE)

  • Provider: The Ridgeway School and Sixth Form College
  • Start date: 01 September 2020
  • Location: Swindon

GCSE Maths Evening (can include pre-GCSE course too)

  • Provider: NEW CITY COLLEGE
  • Start date: 01 September 2020
  • Location: London
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