Survey results point to positive future for furniture industry

July 13, 2011 - PRLog -- A recent survey by Proskills has found that the number of students that would consider a career in the furniture industry increased three-fold after participating in the MakeIT! Furniture programme. The survey also found that students significantly increased their knowledge of the furniture industry by participating in the programme and that over a third would now consider it as a career option, statistics which illustrate the wider importance of MakeIT! Furniture.

Attracting talented new entrants is crucial to the future of the UK furniture industry, which relies on fresh ideas and new thinking to maintain its status in the wider commercial marketplace. In the MakeIT! Furniture programme students research and design their own products, in the process learning about various aspects of the furniture industry, from sourcing raw materials right through to production and design.

This engages students in the major challenges facing the furniture industry, such as the need to use sustainably sourced materials, and heightens awareness of the career opportunities it offers. Bethan Cooper of Maidstone Girls Grammar School greatly enjoyed the creative aspects of MakeIT! Furniture. “I loved being able to experiment with ideas and create my own design and model. It was fun learning about new woods and being able to experiment on the machines,” she said.    

This kind of creative vitality can lead to the development of innovative new designs that people will want to buy. As such Proskills CEO Terry Watts believes that programmes like MakeIT! Furniture will help companies build for the future. “Students are the next generation of the workforce, so investing in their skills makes long-term economic sense,” he says. “It’s important that students develop skills industry-relevant, so I would encourage schools to sign up to the MakeIT! Furniture programme.”

Notes to Editors:
For further information on the MakeIT! Furniture programme, and how you can get involved, contact the MakeIT! Furniture Team at Proskills on 01235 432018 or makeitfurniture@proskills.co.uk

About Proskills:
Proskills UK is the bridge between employers and Government on skills and training. Employer-led by nine key industries, Building Products, Coatings, Extractives, Furniture, Glass, Glazed Ceramics, Paper, Print and Wood industries which make a third of the UK manufacturing sector. Proskills UK helps to raise the profile and sets the skills standards and qualifications for the sector and ensures that the skills and funding delivers against the current and future needs of the industries.

About MakeIT! Furniture:
MakeIT! Furniture is an industry-based project and competition for schools, mapped to the national curriculum and Diplomas. It familiarises students with how furniture is designed and made in the Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors  Industry through researching and designing products, and investigating the various different aspects of the industry – from sourcing raw materials to producing finished products.

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Proskills UK is an employer-led organisation that represents the interests of the industries that make up the process and manufacturing sector to government.