Kindred Clothing provides a vocational qualification for those with a limited education foundation, as well as growing the confidence and competencies of learners and nurturing their future options.
The organisation currently teaches the garment production process to cohorts of 10 to 15 learners at a time with the objectives of building confidence and reactivating young parents' education through life affirming activities. They also learn about photography, business planning, and how to best present themselves. There is a lot of emphasis on early supportive engagement because traditional routes back into education have a high dropout rate for this group of learners.
This project aims to develop the digital element of an accredited clothes making course aimed at a community of young parent families, creating a blended solution that can house all the different elements of the course and accurately track learning progression. Continuous assessment via the platform will remove the stress of an exam, and accessibility will be improved to meet learner needs.
Kindred Clothing is delivered by a group of industry professionals who have signed up to the Clothes Making Learning Partnership. They also provide access to internships and job opportunities, plus business startup support. Options for scaling at a national level are being investigated to ensure the solution can be offered free to those most in need anywhere in the UK.