NC Textiles Career Map

Paths to new career opportunities

The NC Textiles Career Map highlights some of the most exciting jobs in the textile industry today. These are also jobs which provide a variety of career opportunities. If you are interested learning more please visit textileinnovationengine.org (opens in a new tab).

How to use the map

    Paths to new career opportunities

    The NC Textiles Career Map highlights some of the most exciting jobs in the textile industry today. These are also jobs which provide a variety of career opportunities. If you are interested learning more please visit textileinnovationengine.org (opens in a new tab).
    Get started
    Tap any role to trace where it can lead, up to lead roles or across into related fields. Filter by what matters to you, or search a job title to jump right in.
    How to use the map
    Inside the map, you'll find:
    Career pathways across five key areas of child care and early learning
    Entry, intermediate, and lead roles, so you see the whole journey, not just the first step
    Real salary ranges for every role and experience level
    The skills and moves that connect one job to the next
    Local training and education to help you take the next step

    Career map

    Skip past the career map

    Career map. Press Tab to move through roles in reading order: top experience level first, then left to right across sectors. Once a role has focus you can also use the arrow keys to move spatially: left and right move across sectors, up and down move between experience levels. Home and End jump to the first or last role in the row. Press Space to add or remove the focused role from your pathway. Press Enter to view full details. Press Escape to close.

    Lead/Specialist
    Intermediate
    Entry
    1.0×
    Your pathway
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    North Carolina’s textile industry is evolving. While traditional textile production remains an important part of the industry, today’s employers increasingly rely on advanced manufacturing, automated equipment, digital technologies, new materials, product innovation, quality systems and sophisticated supply chains.

    This career map is designed to show both where the textile industry is today and where it is going. It highlights career opportunities across five interconnected sectors—from textile production and finished-product manufacturing to mechatronics and automation, advanced materials and product development, and supply chain operations.

    The map includes entry, mid, and senior-level occupations to help individuals see multiple ways to enter the industry, build new skills and advance over time. Career pathways are not limited to moving vertically within a single sector. Many of the skills developed in textile manufacturing are transferable, creating opportunities to move across sectors as well as upward into more advanced technical, engineering, supervisory and management roles.

    Together, these pathways illustrate a modern textile industry that offers opportunities for individuals with a wide range of interests—from hands-on production and skilled technical work to robotics, engineering, materials science, product development and business operations.

    The goal is not simply to show the jobs that have historically defined textiles, but to help people see the careers that will shape its future.

    The map is for anyone who is interested in the textile industry. This includes those already working in the industry who want to understand their options for career progression and develop the skills to get there. It also includes those not in the industry who want to learn more about its various jobs and career paths, as well as the skills required to be successful.

    Columns represent different sectors of the textile industry. Rows show career levels: Entry, Intermediate, and Lead/Specialist.

    Click on any role to view a job summary, salary range, skills, and related career information.

    The salary ranges for the jobs in this map are based on reviews of available textile information, job boards, and subject matter expert guidance.

    As you review the map, it’s possible you don’t see your job listed. That’s because the map shows a sample of the industry’s high growth, high-demand, high wage jobs, and unfortunately, we couldn’t fit every job in the industry on the map!

    It’s also possible that your job is on the map, but perhaps under a slightly different name, so click around!

    Yes. The textile industry continues to evolve, and this map is intended to grow alongside it.

    Roles, career pathways, and salary information may be updated over time.

    We partnered with workforce and data experts to identify high-wage, high-demand jobs in North Carolina’s textile industry using labor market data and local insights.