FEATURE
EDUCATION: THE WAY FORWARD
Today, both Government-held and privately held fashion institutes are upping their game to
produce a skilled, employable workforce. Meera Warrier analyses how this is playing out in
favour of the apparel industry.
Earlier in 2019, Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s
Union Minister of Textiles, launched five short-
term courses at National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT) Panchkula, Haryana. Speaking
at the launch, she drew attention to the Indian
arts and crafts sector, urging the institute to
conduct further research on them. She urged
the NIFT administration to develop special
projects to study the impact of Surajkund
International Crafts Mela in Haryana. She outlined
her aspirations for the students joining the new
campus, whereby they would learn not just
about the technology but also understand the
intricacies of entrepreneurship. The presence
of the Union Minister at the event marked the
increased emphasis on skill training across the
apparel sector by the Union Government, under
its flagship ‘Skill India’ programme.
This initiative spotlights the concerted focus on
creating a world-class talent pool for the rapidly
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growing apparel industry of India, especially given
that land and infrastructure for the campus was
provided by the Haryana government, and it is
being set up with the support of the Department
of Technical Education, Government of Haryana.
Indian textiles and apparels have, historically,
enjoyed a rich history of fine craftsmanship and
global appeal. Cotton, silk, and denim from India
are popular globally, and with the upsurge in
international design talent, Indian apparel, too,
has started attracting much attention from the
fashion centres of the world. Today, India ranks
as the world’s second largest exporter of textiles
and apparel, with a huge base of raw material
and manufacturing capabilities. The industry is
also a significant contributor to the economy,
both in terms of its domestic share and exports.
Its contribution to the economy is clocked
at approximately two per cent to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), seven per cent to the