Developing The Designers Of Tomorrow

Online, June 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The first ever MakeIT! Furniture competition will culminate with an awards ceremony at the National School of Furniture in Oxford on 13 June, recognising the next generation of design talent and heightening awareness of the career opportunities available in the furniture industry. Led by Proskills, the sector skills council for the process and manufacturing sector, the MakeIT! Furniture programme aims to encourage students to consider a career in the Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors industry; entries were judged by a panel of experts from the industry, including Neil Stevenson, Managing Director of N.E.J Stevenson Ltd. "MakeIT! Furniture is excellent for raising awareness within schools of not only the furniture industry, but also skilled trades and manufacturing in general," he says. His colleague on the judging panel Renee Mascari, CEO of the Kitchen, Bedrooms, Bathrooms National Training Group (KBBNTG), believes the programme has an important role to play in the development of the furniture industry. "We've got a skills shortage in the furniture industry, so we need young people to take up design challenges," she says. "Design kick-starts the manufacturing process and so is very important in terms of the wider economy."

The programme has been designed to reflect the wider challenges faced by the industry, chief among them minimising its impact on the environment and ensuring its long-term sustainability. The winner of best solid wood design in MakeIT! Furniture will have their design produced from a locally sourced, sustainable tree as part of the One Oak Project, an initiative run by the Sylva foundation to follow the life story of a single oak tree; Gabriel Hemery, the foundation's Chief Executive, says this heightens awareness of sustainability issues among students. "The MakeIT! Furniture programme has been great for us because it has helped us engage with students. We're very keen to link with young people who could be the next generation of wood users, and show them practical stories about how local timber can be used," he outlines. A solid grounding in these kinds of areas can then open up a wide range of further opportunities, according to Neil Stevenson. "In my company there are 16 people who make things, of which one is a machinist and one is a polisher, and the rest are craftsmen. I've also got three designers, a contracts director, an installations manager, a production director, a works manager, a finance director, and a managing director, all of whom started on the shop floor," he says. "If you've got a proper craft skill you will always be able to earn a living, and if you have a real understanding of what you're doing you can then move on and take on other challenges."

For further information on the MakeIT! Furniture programme, and how you can get involved, contact the MakeIT! Furniture Team at Proskills on 01235 432018 or makeitfurniture@proskills.co.uk