Fashion is the largest employer of all the UK’s creative industries. The European fashion industry is estimated to support 1.7 Million jobs and its direct value to the economy is estimated at €325 bn. Understanding enterprise and employability in this sector means that students can be better prepared for a changing world, a sustainable one in which there is uncertainty, challenge and self-created opportunities. SFES aims to equip students with the skills and competencies to enhance their employability, whilst ensuring the sustainability of fashion, including its ethicality, heritage and environmental impact for processes in fashion creation, marketing and production.
About us
SFES (Sustainable Fashion Employability Skills) is a strategic partnership funded by the European Union and it is leaded by a team of 90 multidisciplinary and multinational students and staff from five academic partners (Glasgow Caledonian University, Centro Universitario Villanueva, Universitat Politècnica de València, Universidade da Madeira, EDHEC Business School) and 2 industry partners (Tendam, Harris Tweeds). The skills and the knowledge of both businesses which are engaging with sustainability with completely different approaches as well as the interdisciplinary expertise from the academic partners (Marketing, Communication, Environmental Science, Audiovisual, Videogame and Management) will be used in order to create outputs.
This project aims to embrace the implementation of sustainability strategies and foster employability skills for the fashion industry through a range of learning situations, including several week-long innovative and co-creative workshops that will study everything from clothes design, manufacturing, and supply chain management to ethical practices, climate change, digital skills, and communication.
Furthermore, it is a project focused on understanding the nature of sustainable actions and strategies that companies operating in the fashion industry are using or implementing in their businesses and determining the employability skills and competences which are required to implement them or the blue sky strategies that businesses have identified that they would like to use but do not have the resources or skills to achieve.
Outputs
White Paper
Toolkit
Workshop
Our objective is to deliver a White Paper that will be accessible to businesses, academics, students and citizens which will cover the understanding of sustainability; its current state of play within businesses and its implementation in the fashion industry, and further provide a Toolkit which will address the demand and any potential employability skills gaps in this area, for educators to use, adapt and put into practice and to facilitate students’ understanding and implementation of sustainability
As our dissemination strategy takes hold, more students and staff will be exposed to the value and importance of diversity, multidisciplinary and international collaborations bringing Industry, HEIs and society closer together. With the development of more truly Global Citizens, the long term beneficiary will be our European and Global Society!