Textile Technician

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Work Tasks

• Help engineers research, make, and sell textile products
• Test new fabrics and suggest ways to improve them
• Manage workers who make the products and train new workers
• Help sell the products and answer customer questions
• Work in production plants for the textile and clothing industries
• Work with tensile testers, and tear testers (to evaluate yarn and fabric properties); abrasion, colorfastness, water repellency, and lightfastness testers; sewing, knitting, and weaving machines, and various fabrics, dyes, and chemicals

Salary, Size & Growth

• $45,000 average per year ($21.75 per hour)
• A medium occupation (55,400 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (0.9% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 2-year degree in science
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree in textile technology
• Skills/Courses: College courses include chemistry, physics, math, and computer science with emphasis on laboratory science courses.