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jordanoutlet - The Bored at school of Mulberry Stitch
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The Bored at school of Mulberry Stitch
Dean Halliwell, 18, also decided, after getting three AS-levels, that he was bored at school and would prefer to work with his hands. He reckons factory work has an uncool image. "I thought factory people worked like robots, did brainless work. It's not like that. My friends are all staying on to go to university. I think they want to party there, rather than get a job." He began his apprenticeship learning how to skive - to shave pieces of leather at the edges to give them a thinner finish that is easier to stitch. All the apprentices, learn several skills so they can perform a variety of jobs. One day a week, they study theory, but stay on site to do it. Tutors from Bridgwater College come in. Mulberry gets about £2,500 of public money to help fund each apprentice. "There's not a lot of money for the handicraft industries. For apprentices in IT, the funding is quite a few thousand pounds more," says Scott. The apprentices have played their part in boosting output at the Rookery, Mulberry's headquarters in the village of Chilcompton. It used to take 45 hours to make a bag. Now it can take as little as five. Scott is convinced manufacturing has a future in the UK. "It can be sustained, but only if there are the core skills." "This comes back to the Leitch report [which calls for more employer-led courses]," says Florance. "It's charging us to review all the qualifications that are being offered, and saying which ones are right and which ones should no longer be supported by the government." How many qualifications should disappear? "Perhaps we should go down to about 10% of what we have at present; 90% would go, but new ones would be developed."
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