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Fashion designer apprenticeships

Creative and media

Fashion designer apprenticeships - where to start

You can get into this job through

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship


    • University

    You'll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree. Courses are widely available and include: 

    • fashion design 
    • art and design 
    • textiles 
    You should look for a course that covers both design and technical skills to get the practical knowledge needed by the industry. Some universities and colleges are members of the British Fashion Council.

    You'll usually need 1 or 2 A-Levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma. You'll need 2 to 3 A-Levels, or equivalent, for a degree. 

    College
    You could do a college course, which will teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need to work in the fashion industry. Relevant subjects include: 

    • Level 2 Award in Fashion - Sampling Fashion Techniques 
    • Level 2 Diploma in Skills for the Fashion Industries 
    • Level 3 Extended Diploma in Fashion Design and Production
    You'll usually need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a Level 2 course. You'll need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a Level 3 course. 

    Apprenticeship
    You may be able to do a Level 3 apprenticeship to become a fashion studio assistant and work as an assistant in a design studio. You could then develop your design skills on the job. You'll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths.

    Volunteering

    You'll need to get as much work experience as you can, for example through an internship, as there's strong competition for jobs in the fashion industry. It will help you get a better understanding of the role, and to meet people who may help you to find paid work later. You can create a portfolio of your design work to showcase your skills, which will help you at course and job interviews. Your portfolio should include mood boards, designs and technical drawings.


    Fashion designer apprenticeships - what it takes

    Skills and knowledge

    You'll need: 

    • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
    • the ability to use your initiative 
    • excellent verbal communication skills
    • to be thorough and pay attention to detail 
    • to be flexible and open to change 
    • ambition and a desire to succeed 
    • the ability to organise your time and workload 
    • thinking and reasoning skills 
    • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

    Fashion designer apprenticeships - what you'll do

    Day-to-day tasks

    As part of your day-to-day tasks, you could: 

    • work to design instructions 
    • analyse or predict trends in fabrics, colours and shapes
    • produce concept and mood boards (a collection of items to capture a mood, like photos, fabric pieces or colour samples) 
    • produce designs by hand or by using computer-aided design (CAD) 
    • develop basic shapes ('blocks') through patterns 
    • estimate costs for materials and manufacture 
    • find suppliers 
    • supervise the making up of sample clothing items 
    • make in-house presentations, for example to finance departments and merchandisers
    Working environment
    You could work in a workshop or in a creative studio.

    Career path and progression - Fashion designer apprenticeships

    With experience you could progress to senior designer, head of a department (like head of women's wear design) or design director. You could also go freelance or start your own company.

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    Considering an Apprenticeship?

    There are lots of benefits to apprenticeships, here are our top 5:

    • Paid Training
      Not only will your organisation (or the Government) pay for all of your training, but you’ll be paid to do it. That means you could actually get paid to get your degree and have no debt!
    • Range of career opportunities
      There are over 625 different apprenticeships to choose from, in a range of industries. Whether you’re interested in law, marketing, construction or engineering, you’ll find something up your street!
    • Earn & learn
      As an apprentice, the minimum you’ll earn is £6.20 an hour, but we’ve seen apprentices earn a starting salary of up to £30,000 a year! You could also get other employee benefits like gym memberships, paid holiday and sick pay.
    • Great career prospects
      Employers think apprentices are 15% more employable than those with other qualifications. In fact, many large employers train their graduates and apprentices together!
    • Learn on the job
      There’s only so much you can learn when you just do a qualification. As an apprentice, you’ll also get to learn on the job - whether that’s designing amazing graphics, chopping vegetables or building engines!

    Start searching for Apprenticeships Near You

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