David Beckham, Adwoa Aboah join BFC to launch new fashion apprenticeship

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 23, 2019

A group of fashion designers, BFC ambassadors and industry leaders joined the British Fashion Council to launch its Fashion Studio Apprenticeship during a visit at Prendergast Vale School in Lewisham on Monday.

The initiative will seek to give young people a new career opportunity whilst paving the way for more skilled workers in the industry.

BFC ambassadorial president David Beckham and BFC ambassador for Positive Fashion Adwoa Aboah led the way in inspiring a young audience from different backgrounds to consider the creative industries when making decisions about their future.

Award-winning designer Richard Quinn; Alighieri founder Rosh Mahtani; UKFT CEO Adam Mansell; and Paolina Russ, part of the MakerLab Presents: Here to Create project, were also in attendance.

Caroline Rush, BFC chief executive, said: “It is incredible to be able to support career opportunities for young people who might not want to pursue higher education. There are a lot of roles out there that need to be filled by skilled workers; the fashion industry is highly dependent on those roles and we hope that this will strengthen our industry and make it more accessible by being able to offer this exciting new Fashion Studio Apprenticeship.”

David Beckham, BFC ambassadorial president, added: “Fashion is an industry that should be open to everyone - no matter what their background is or where they are from.”

The Fashion Studio Apprenticeship will give young people the opportunity to get first-hand experience at a fashion studio and learn how a collection is made before choosing to specialise in one of three pathways: Product Development and Production, Sales and Operations and Fashion Marketing and Communications.

Adwoa Aboah, BFC ambassador for Positive Fashion, said: “The Fashion Studio Apprenticeship is proof that not every role in fashion needs an academic degree and that our industry is one that is open to everyone, no matter their background.”