After attending the Shima Seiki MFG student competition on 18 April George Turner and Humphrey Barrett, from The Worshipful Company took the opportunity to present James Whitehouse, Shima Seiki Trainee Technician, with a bursary to help with the purchase of tools and equipment.

George Turner stated that the Framework Knitters will continue to look to support up and coming talent in the UK to help improve the skills base in the knitwear trade.

Shima Seiki’s Apex Competition for students based at UK Universities awards two winners with a two-week paid visit to the company’s head office in Wakayama, Japan, where they will receive training on the latest Shima Seiki Apex Programming Systems and knitting technology.

Since 1985,Shima Seiki Europe has been serving the European knitting industry, especially the UK and surrounding countries. Shima Seiki develops top quality functional products and employs dedicated staff, who have provided customer-oriented sales and service for almost three decades.

In 2014, the company renovated its office and expanded its Training Suite, which has a showroom with the latest knit samples and garments.

The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters is one of the City of London's Livery Companies, collectively known as the Livery. It traces its origins to 1589 when William Lee of Calverton in Nottinghamshire invented a method of knitting mechanically. Many of the company’s members have direct connections with the knitting and hosiery industries and assist them with various charitable works.

Framework Knitters has been helping students of design, management, marketing, science and technology relevant to the knitting/knitwear industries with bursaries for many years.