The Mills were the largest employers in the community in which they were situated and as thus were the focus of the community. Most of the mills employees came from surrounding villages with many generations of the same family working together. Former employees even speak about the family atmosphere within the mills. For this reason jobs were generally not advertised and people simply applied to the mill if they wanted a job or found out there was one available through their family or neighbours.“You’d find that a mother and daughter were up there and the father probably worked in the machine house. And the uncle worked in the roasters or the sister in law” Former overhauler in Galloways Mill
When the need for labour in the mills grew in the 1960s employees were bussed in from various areas of Edinburgh and as far afield as West Calder. However there were no formal apprenticeships within the mills, employees simply started on a process where they were needed and progressed when there was an opening in another department.
“The gaffer worked two –lived two or three doors away and he asked if there were vacancies because we, we were needing workers. And he heard I was leaving school. So ‘Go start on Monday’ and that was it.” Former overhauler at Kinleith
