Impressive – but that’s so old school. And it’s so dirty and loud and hot, from what I remember my grandma saying. I don’t think there’s anything in it for me.
Those days are gone. Textile mills today are air conditioned, clean and have high-tech, efficient equipment that require skilled operators. It’s not a bad place to work at all. What are you looking for in a career?
I couldn’t tell you, really. I only have a high school degree, but I want to get some specialized training in something. I want to better myself. I don’t want to work at a convenience store the rest of my life.
I can understand that. But did you know many textile companies will train you or send you to school for training? Plus, the wages of textile employees are double or more than those of service employees? Not to mention these companies provide excellent benefits.
I didn’t know that. You mean they would train me for a job that pays more than most of my friends’ jobs AND offer great benefits? What kind of jobs are you talking about?
All kinds, really. You can learn to operate some of those high-tech machines. You can inspect products for quality. You can even sit at a computer and program a robot, if you’d like. You look pretty tech savvy with that smart phone and iPod …
Yeah, man, I love gadgets. And machines. And robots. Sounds pretty cool.
Very cool. You may be well suited for the textile industry. You seem bright, driven and ambitious. If you’d like, I can put you in touch with dozens of textile companies that could use you.
That would be awesome! I wish my grandma were here so I could tell her. I’ll just text my parents to let them know I may be looking for a career in the textile industry.
Posted June 24, 2014
Note: In receiving the Southern Textile Association’s Chapman Award last week, Inman Mills chief Rob Chapman reminded members of some of the challenges facing the industry and the entire manufacturing sector. Among those challenges: an aging workforce and the difficulty of attracting young people to those manufacturing positions. So I thought I’d visit a local job fair to see what’s on the mind of a young job seeker and maybe spread the textile industry gospel. Here’s what may (or may not) have happened.
Hey, while you’re waiting in line to meet with a job counselor, do you have a moment to chat?
Sure, dude. Let me hit send on this text first.
OK, then. Are you familiar with the textile industry?
The textile industry? Sort of. My grandma used to work in the cotton mill. Textiles has been gone a long time.
Actually, no. A lot of the industry didn’t survive the effects of globalization, but many did. They all went through tough times, but many reinvented themselves, refocused and have survived.
Seriously? There’s still a textile industry around here?
You bet. Now, it’s not as big as it once was, but hundreds of companies right here in the USA – several in this community – are making textiles around the clock. In fact, more than 373,000 people are directly employed in the industry in this country, and more than 100,000 more people are employed as direct suppliers to the industry – not to mention the fact they’re hiring again. Plus, the United States is the third largest exporter of textile products in the world. And textile companies are looking to hire young, talented people such as you.
Tell the youth
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