Costume attendant to costume maker
A costume attendant already meets 25% of what the costume maker role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.7/ 100
1 How much of what a costume maker is expected to do is already part of a costume attendant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the costume maker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A costume maker role treats 6 of its required skills as things a costume attendant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt costumes
- draw up artists' measurements
- dressmaking
- follow work schedule
- sew pieces of fabric
- use manual sewing techniques
What stands in the way is 21 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A costume maker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a costume attendant background worth leading with.
- already held adapt costumes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draw up artists' measurements information skills
- already held dressmaking engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held organise costume fittings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with the camera crew communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with the lighting crew communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 6 the costume maker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn finish costumes required
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn perform costume settings required
- still to learn understand artistic concepts required
- still to learn translate artistic concepts to technical designs required
- optional, not held adapt existing designs to changed circumstances optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held develop the look of a production optional
- optional, not held draw up costume sketches optional
- optional, not held support a designer in the developing process optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- still to learn maintain workshop space required
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn prepare personal work environment required
- optional, not held define costume fabrication methods optional
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held organise workshop space optional
- optional, not held plan workshop activity optional
- optional, not held manage personal professional development optional
- still to learn work safely with chemicals required
- still to learn use personal protection equipment required
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- still to learn work with respect for own safety required
- optional, not held prevent fire in a performance environment optional
- still to learn assemble costume parts required
- still to learn cut fabrics required
- still to learn draw up costume patterns required
- still to learn dye fabrics required
- still to learn maintain rigging equipment required
- still to learn maintain theatre equipment required
- still to learn keep up with trends required
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a costume maker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble costume parts practise this
- 02 finish costumes practise this
- 03 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held adapt costumes skill
- already held draw up artists' measurements skill
- already held dressmaking knowledge
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held sew pieces of fabric skill
- already held use manual sewing techniques skill
- already held attend rehearsals skill
- already held follow directions of the artistic director skill
- already held manage consumables stock skill
- already held organise costume fittings skill
- already held work with the camera crew skill
- already held work with the director of photography skill
- already held work with the lighting crew skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn work safely with machines required
- optional, not held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt existing designs to changed circumstances optional
- optional, not held define costume fabrication methods optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held develop the look of a production optional
- optional, not held draw up costume sketches optional
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held organise workshop space optional
- optional, not held plan workshop activity optional
- optional, not held prevent fire in a performance environment optional
- optional, not held support a designer in the developing process optional
- optional, not held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held manage personal professional development optional
16 held skills the costume maker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse a script skill
- not needed by the target role analyse the need for technical resources skill
- not needed by the target role assist with dressing skill
- not needed by the target role document costume stock skill
- not needed by the target role draft styling schedule skill
- not needed by the target role dress actors skill
- not needed by the target role ensure continuous styling of artists skill
- not needed by the target role lighting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain costumes skill
- not needed by the target role measure the human body for wearing apparel skill
- not needed by the target role perform costume changeovers skill
- not needed by the target role photography knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan transport operations skill
- not needed by the target role preset costumes skill
- not needed by the target role select costumes skill
- not needed by the target role wash costumes skill
Other moves recorded from costume attendant
Common questions about this move
Can a costume attendant become a costume maker?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A costume attendant already covers 25% of what a costume maker is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 6 of which the costume maker role treats as required.
What skills does a costume attendant need to become a costume maker?
21 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assemble costume parts.
How hard is the move from costume attendant to costume maker?
Its learning distance is 79.7 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.