Kilt Buying Question

[Thistle Stop]

It takes a lot of training to be a good kiltmaker. The ones I know have been doing it for years and learned to make kilts by 'growing up with it' in the family or by attending a first-rate training facility like the Keith Kilt School in Scotland. It also takes intelligence, a good eye for aesthetics, and a love for the art itself. I'm not saying that people recovering from serious problems could not possess these traits, but I do think their track records may not auger well for their being able to apply them with the necessary devotion.

For a good, traditional kilt, the materials alone, even at wholesale prices, account for most of the price. Kiltmakers don't make a lot on their labour.

However, the biggest problem I see in the idea is that you would have to spend a lot of time and effort training people to do something that would not make them employable anywhere but in your factory, and I don't think any agency offering grants would go for that. People trying to recover their lives need skills that give them broad opportunities.

If you want to support poor, honest people trying to make a living by kiltmaking, buy Pakistani or Indian kilts!

[Scotus]

Thistle, I agree. That's basically what I was trying to say. The making of a traditional kilt takes skill and a love for what you're doing. You are also correct, of course, about those who make kilts in Scotland. They are mainly people who grew up learning the skill.

I know there is a lot of talk about the price of kilts on this board, but a traditional kilt is not a high priced piece of clothing when you see the fine wool that is used, the time to make a kilt, the skill, etc. I don't think there can be a large mark-up on kilts at all. I have always wondered how they make money selling kilts!

The cost of a kilt, for what you are getting, is quite reasonable.

[Rigged]

However, the biggest problem I see in the idea is that you would have to spend a lot of time and effort training people to do something that would not make them employable anywhere but in your factory, and I don't think any agency offering grants would go for that. People trying to recover their lives need skills that give them broad opportunities.

I agree with almost every said on this thread except the above. Learning any job skills can be translated to other work. Showing up on time, attention to detail, and caring for the results are traits that are necessary for most jobs.

Teaching those fundamental traits can go a long way towards making a person employable through a lifetime.

[Doc Hudson]

There is another point I think that is being missed.

I don't think Raphael meant that he wanted to start a handsewn kilt factory. I think he meant something more along the line of Stillwater or Utilikilt.

This would be mainly machine sewing, and would call for semi-skilled labor that can be developed from the unskilled. What would be necessary is a cadre of skilled tailors and seamstresses to train the new hires, and supervise them in their labor.

And any sort of tailoring skill is saleable.

I also agree with Rigged. The simple habits of employment will also add a person's marketable skills.

Good Luck Raphael. Let me know how the project advances. If it works, I might look into something similar here in Mississippi.

Wouldn't it be great to slicker the government into subsidizing kilts?!?!

[Thistle Stop]

However, the biggest problem I see in the idea is that you would have to spend a lot of time and effort training people to do something that would not make them employable anywhere but in your factory, and I don't think any agency offering grants would go for that. People trying to recover their lives need skills that give them broad opportunities.

I agree with almost every said on this thread except the above. Learning any job skills can be translated to other work. Showing up on time, attention to detail, and caring for the results are traits that are necessary for most jobs.

Teaching those fundamental traits can go a long way towards making a person employable through a lifetime.

I agree with what you say -- the traits you enumerate are essential to job success in any field. What I meant is that 'kiltmaking' doesn't have the cachet, in an entry-level job application, of a lot of other job experiences. I was a career counselor, once upon a time. At the managerial and executive level, you get the opportunity to present more abstract skills like 'attention to detail' in a résumé or CV, but if one is applying for a lower-level job, the employer just asks about job experience -- what position did you hold, how long did you hold it, etc. Someone looking for a receptionist or data entry clerk or construction labourer or shop assistant will not relate to 'kiltmaking' very well, and a job-seeker certainly won't find 'kiltmaker needed' in the Classifieds. It takes a very articulate and confident person to parlay that kind of experience into something that will help him get a job in the wider world of employment opportunities.

[Thistle Stop]

And any sort of tailoring skill is saleable.

Don't get angry at me, please, as I'm just playing devil's advocate -- but garment workers are amongst the most poorly paid of employees, and there's little opportunity in the field, because most such jobs have gone to the Third World. Government-subsidised work-traing programmes usually focus on the types of jobs that are most readily available.

[Doc Hudson]

Why on earth would I be angry?

And as the son of a textile worker, I know it is no way to get rich. Even so, better a job in the textile industry than living on the street panhandling, doping, and selling themselves.

And you have to admit, it beats the daylights out of the Midnight Basketball League that Congress financed back during the slickwillie administration.

[Thistle Stop]

Why on earth would I be angry?

I didn't think you would be, but I feel like I'm presenting the most unpopular viewpoint, as I have firmly eschewed rose-coloured glasses! In fact, I feel I am being a bit of a 'nooge', but someone has to say these things!

And as the son of a textile worker, I know it is no way to get rich. Even so, better a job in the textile industry than living on the street panhandling, doping, and selling themselves.

And you have to admit, it beats the daylights out of the Midnight Basketball League that Congress financed back during the slickwillie administration.

I would never argue with any of that!

[Doc Hudson]

One more thing.

In addition to sewing machine operators, Raphael will need receptionists, warehousemen, an office staff, and a janitorial staff. A salesman or two and possibly a buyer would also be part of the team.

In other words, he will need all the people that make the wheels of a business go round and round.