Understanding Demand for Industrial Knitting Training

Over the last six months an industry advisory group has been working with Hanga Aro Rau, the Manufacturing Workforce Development council to review knitting qualifications in New Zealand. The resulting report produced by Hanga Aro Rau outlines the current demand for industrial knitting skills, recruitment challenges, current training provisions, and what qualifications, if any, exist.

Key findings show:

Difficulty in recruiting industrial machine knitting staff: 71% of respondents reported ‘extremely difficult’ (57%) or ‘very difficult’ (14%) in recruiting industrial knitting roles.

Current approach to training: All respondents indicated that internal training is used to train skills required for industrial machine knitting. 36% also indicated they hire New Zealand based staff with existing skills (36%).

Engagement with education system: Over one third (36%) of respondents had not engaged with the education system before.

Demand for industrial knitting training: Half of respondents (50%) indicated that their workplace would enrol learners in a general manufacturing qualification that includes some specific industrial knitting skills. Based on these responses, an estimated total of 13 to 18 learners could be enrolled per year.

Access the Report here.

Understanding Demand for Industrial Knitting Training - Survey Report