There are many exciting and diverse career pathways across the textiles, clothing and footwear industry – from niche fabrics processors to boutique apparel and footwear manufacturers, and specialists in repair, cleaning and maintenance. The industry combines traditional craftsmanship with emerging skills that drive innovation, embrace new technologies, and adjust to changes in consumer preferences and environmental regulations. Building on existing knowledge, this project will map the skills and career pathways across the industry to support a future-ready workforce.
Click across the tabs to view active and completed project stages. Consultation takes place at every stage of the project.
This project will identify current and emerging skill needs, career pathways, transferrable skills, and gaps in training provision. Insights from this work can be used to inform the design of training products and other workforce planning considerations.
The project stems from a recommendation in A Changing Workforce: Opportunities and challenges for shaping the future textiles, clothing and footwear industry, produced as part of the 2024-25 Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Workforce Insights Project. It builds on previous efforts to support the industry in meeting its evolving workforce needs.
The project team will undertake targeted consultations, surveys, interviews and focus groups across metropolitan and regional areas, supported by data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Jobs and Skills Australia, to provide a contemporary view of industry’s skills and occupations.
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Project scope
TextileWorks, a part of ForestWorks, will be working collaboratively with Skills Insight to produce an evidence-based framework of current and emerging job roles and associated skills, and identify skills that are transferable across job roles, sectors and other industries.
The mapping will focus on occupational roles, skill sets, and career pathways within the following six production-focused sectors of the industry:
- textile manufacturing (natural and synthetic)
- fashion and apparel manufacturing
- leather manufacturing
- footwear production
- dry cleaning and laundry services
- clothing and footwear repairs and alterations.
Retail and warehousing sectors of the industry are out of current scope.
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Timeline
Project team
Raak Wallis-King
Stakeholder Engagement Manager
TextileWorks
[email protected]
Rob Stowell
Project Consultant
[email protected]
Belinda Tierney
General Manager
ForestWorks
[email protected]
A draft framework has been developed for the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Occupation and Skills Map. It outlines the proposed structure and development approach for a resource designed to identify occupational structures, skill needs, career pathways, and VET pathways to support workforce development.
It will cover occupations and skills across seven key sub-sectors:
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If you would like to receive updates about this project, please subscribe to our newsletter and select ‘Textiles, Clothing & Footwear’ as one of your industries of interest.
Consultation approach
A Project Governance Group was formed to provide strategic oversight, review draft materials and ensure the Occupation and Skills Map reflects current practices and future needs. The group includes representatives from industry, unions, training providers and policy bodies.
A National Data Collection and Consultation Strategy has also been produced describing the mechanisms for collecting stakeholder input. The aim is to create a strong feedback loop so that the occupation and skills map is evidence-based and aligned with industry priorities.
The draft National Data Collection and Consultation Strategy outlines project activities for January to May 2026, including:
Have your say
You are encouraged to provide feedback on the Occupation and Skills Mapping Framework and the National Data Collection and Consultation Strategy by emailing: [email protected]
Next steps
The National Data Collection and Consultation Strategy includes a draft timeline to inform the scheduling of consultation activities.
Focus groups and site visits will occur during these periods. Registration details will be available soon.
| Industry sub-sector | State | Date range |
|---|---|---|
| Textile recycling and remanufacturing | NSW, Victoria | 12 February–23 January 2026 |
| Dry cleaning and laundry services | Victoria, Queensland | 2 February–13 February 2026 |
| Fashion and apparel | Victoria, NSW, Queensland | 16 February–6 March 2026 |
| Clothing repairs and alterations | Queensland, Victoria | 16 February–6 March 2026 |
| Textile manufacturing | Victoria, NSW | 9 March–27 March 2026 |
| Leather and footwear | South Australia, NSW | 9 March–27 March 2026 |
| Multi-sector consultation | Western Australia | 25 March–27 March 2026 |
| Multi-sector consultation | Tasmania | 19 March–21 April 2026 |
| Multi-sector consultation | Northern Territory | 26 March–28 April 2026 |
This stage has not yet commenced.
At the finalisation stage, final checks are conducted and the outcomes of the project are submitted to the Department for consideration. Following this, outcomes are published or enacted.
This Skills Insight JSC project is being managed with the support of FurnishingWorks, a part of ForestWorks, as part of a collaborative partnership with Skills Insight. ForestWorks has an enduring and strong connection working with the forestry, timber, paper, fibre and furnishing industries and have been engaged by Skills Insight to deliver this project in partnership.