Woollen mill recognised for developing future talent
Pudsey-based heritage textile mill and manufacturer AW Hainsworth has been recognised in the Make UK Awards, winning the Developing Future Talent Award and achieving runner-up positions in both the Health, Safety and Wellbeing and SME of the Year Awards.
The annual awards are organised by Make UK, a manufacturers' organisation that champions and celebrates British manufacturing, supporting the future growth and development of the industry. The North East, Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Awards Dinner for 2024 was held in Durham and attended by team members from AW Hainsworth.
AW Hainsworth will now go forward to the National Awards judging for the Developing Future Talent award, which will take place on 30 January 2025.
The Developing Future Talent Award win affirms the fabric manufacturer's commitment and progress in supporting and securing the future of UK textiles. AW Hainsworth hires textile graduates from British universities to help bridge the skills gap in the UK textile industry. The company engages regularly with the next generation, participating in apprenticeship fairs and partnering with universities and local colleges to nurture emerging talent, while providing valuable insights into textile development and production.
Internally, AW Hainsworth’s digital committee fosters engagement across all age groups within the workforce, while its school outreach programs inspire young people to explore careers in textiles. Additionally, the business has prioritised upskilling, with over a third of employees actively participating in personal development plans. The company is also investing in a state-of-the-art Engineering Centre to expand its technical capabilities, providing engineers with direct access to advanced equipment and resources to enhance training for apprentices.
Amanda McLaren, managing director, comments, “Educating and inspiring younger generations to consider a career in textiles is of the utmost importance so we can ensure that the UK textile industry continues to thrive.
“We regularly collaborate with other organisations and businesses to help educate, support and inspire future textile talent, and we have a vast focus internally on supporting and nurturing our existing workforce to ensure our team members flourish both in the workplace and out.”
The family-run mill invests significantly in fabric development innovation and opened its UKAS-accredited testing laboratory in 2022. It’s focused on placing people at the heart of the business and has been running a wellness programme for two years, which seeks to put people first, shift the culture around mental health, and offer extra support to employees.
Ten percent of the workforce are now trained as Mental Health First Aiders, and the business holds bi-monthly wellness workshops. AW Hainsworth also plans to double the capacity of its on-site, private counselling sessions in 2025. These changes have contributed to halving overall absenteeism rates when compared to 2022, and mental health absenteeism is now under 1%. Staff turnover has also reduced to 2%, significantly less than the average turnover in UK manufacturing.