A FRESH initiative is being launched to attract new blood into Huddersfield’s textile industry.

The Textile Centre of Excellence has organised a one-day Careers Convention at its Red Doles Lane premises tomorrow.

The move comes after the Examiner highlighted the plight of boss Gordon Hawley who was unable to find an apprentice to joint his pattern weaving company Paragon Textiles.

This resulted in more than 70 people contacting the Centre of Excellence and expressing an interest in a career in local textiles.

All of these applicants have been invited to the careers day, along with representatives from the careers and apprenticeship services and Kirklees College.

Already directors of 10 Huddersfield textile firms have signed up for the event.

On the day they will meet the prospective employees and discuss with them the opportunities and career paths available within the textile and fashion industries.

This is intended to portray the wide range of opportunities available in textiles in the Huddersfield area – from manufacturers using traditional machinery to state-of-the-art weaving companies making technical fibres.

The centre’s managing director, Bill Macbeth said: “We’re keen to give people the opportunity to see that the textile manufacturing sector is very much alive and well in Yorkshire.

“The centre represents over 80 textile manufacturing companies, most in Huddersfield, and many are making significant investments in new technology to ensure they retain their position as providers of the finest fabrics and leading fashion brands around the world.