Cape Town's clothing and textile industry is the second largest employer within the local manufacturing sector, employing 24,330 individuals. It contributed R4,4 billion to the metro’s exports in 2017.
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, recently attended the Fashion Graduate Recruitment Showcase (FGRS) hosted by the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC). The programme is designed to create a platform for young up and coming talent in the Clothing and Textile industry.
"The showcase provides a platform to connect prospective employers with young fashion graduates. As part of the showcase, South Africa’s top graduates are curated by an expert industry panel, based on a set of criteria. The City supports this programme that is designed to create a platform for young up and coming talent in the industry. It has previously seen participating candidates being employed into entry-level positions," said Vos.
In addition to the Cape Town Fashion Council, the City states that Cape Town’s clothing and textile industry is also well served by organisations such as the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster and Clotex. The funding of these organisations goes towards programmes that cater for training, upskilling and cross-skilling, internships and placement as well as the sector promotion and development, among a host of other initiatives.
"We do this because the clothing and fashion design sector is a major employer and contributor to the Cape Town economy. The main aim is to eventually make Cape Town the go-to city for fashion and design on the continent and beyond because we have what it takes as a city to be the best in the world," added Vos.
