A report on ATDC’s webinar on careers in Fashion Design, Retail and Manufacturing

Apparel Training and Design Center (ATDC), conducted a webinar on Career in Fashion Design, Retail and Manufacturing on 9^th May 2020. The experts present in the webinar were Gurpreet Kaur, Director, Academics; Daljeet Kaur, Registrar, ATDC; Neera Singh Parihar, Registrar, ATDC; Manju Singh, Head, National Placement Cell; and Deepak Singh, GM, IT and Online courses. The experts in the webinar focussed upon various aspects of B.Voc admissions 2020 at ATDC, like ATDC’s Sponsorship, various facilities and resources, placements, fee structure, and online education.

ATDC Vocational Institutes offer a wide range of courses to train the youth in the field of Apparel, Fashion and Lifestyle for careers in an integrated Fashion ecosystem. The B.Voc program in focus was initiated in collaboration with the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) and approved by All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). ATDC offers a wide range of courses such as AMT, FDT (both one-year diploma programs) as well as

1. B.Voc in Apparel Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship (AME),
2. B.Voc in Fashion Design and Retail (FDR).

Major topics that were addressed in the webinar are as follows:

• Facilities and Resources at ATDC
• ATDC’s Sponsorship program
• ATDC’s National Placement Cell
• Online learning during COVID-19

The webinar started with an insight into the facilities and resources provided by ATDC that are catering to the B.Voc courses in the apparel industry and followed by the discussion on other important aspects of the industry. The highlights of the discussions are presented below:

Facilities and Resources at ATDC

“ATDC has collectively emerged as a leader in training for the Apparel Sector and is most awarded Institute, the state of the art infrastructure available with ATDC has the ability to give hands on training to the aspirants, so that they are ready to perform as and when they are employed the student can actually learn earn and grow while enrolled in ATDC. ATDC’s pan India presence, state-of-the-art infrastructure, library and resource centre, industry-friendly curriculum, strong alumni base, placement assistance, exposure to fashion week and other fashion shows, and ATDC shoppe display, makes ATDC one of the leading institutes catering to the Apparel sector. ” Ms. Daljit Kaur, Registrar, ATDC.

ATDC’s Sponsorship program

“ATDC’s Sponsorship program with the help of National Corporations like NBCFD, NSFDC, NSKFDC and NHFDC and Industry /Corporate CSR scholarship supports the socio-economic weaker sections of society especially the women, SC/ST, OBC, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). ATDC offers the Gap’s Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) soft-like skill program to such candidates and uplifting these candidates especially women to be confident, communicating, and effective in their endeavors. The P.A.C.E. which is the transformational program has enabled ATDC to unlock the opportunities for youth especially women who work in the global apparel value chain, thus empowering the individuals and the communities.”  Ms. Neera Singh Parihar, Registrar & GM, (Sponsorship Trainings), ATDC.

The brief discussion on the ATDC’s sponsorship program was an eye opener for the audience as it provided in-depth information regarding various sponsorship programs offered by ATDC.  Along with these programs ATDC also has a National Placement Cell which caters to the employment needs of the students by playing an important role between industry and the student community.

ATDC’s National Placement Cell

“The National Placement Cell at ATDC National Head Office plays a pivotal role between the industry and the student community through meaningful interaction to bring awareness to the faculty and the students and prepare them according to the changing demands of the industry. It is also responsible for identifying the right candidate for the organization by inviting reputed companies from export, domestic, retail, E-Commerce sector and Overseas Company by organizing Rozgar Melas and placement drives for recruitment of students and thus providing a constructive feedback.” Ms. Manju Singh, Joint Registrar, National Admission and Placement Cell.

The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 has given a boost to online learning and ATDC is leveraging the technology to continue the training process. The webinar lays emphasis on the different initiatives taken by ATDC to shift to the online mode of training.

Online learning during COVID-19

“In view of COVID-19 scenario, emerging fast and affecting education delivery across the globe and social distancing becoming a new norm, ATDC has started working on dual delivery of B.Voc courses, where theoretical and soft-skills based courses can be studied online. ATDC has foresighted the paradigm shift in education with emerging technologies and therefore started working on its digital learning management system/platforms for offering soft skills and theoretical content with flexibility of learning hours for working professionals, who otherwise could not take out time for upskilling themselves. The online courses are developed and added every month, improving the chances of candidates many folds being employable while keeping tab on the emerging trends in the fashion/textiles, apparel and lifestyle industries in mind.”  Mr. Deepak Singh, GM, ATDC Online Learning, National Head Office, Gurugram.

Also read: ATDC creates virtual learning model for DDU-GKY courses https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/atdc-creates-virtual-learning-model-for-ddu-gky-courses/

With nation-wide lockdown, the manufacturing units and retail shops have been shut. Thus, impacting the production, sales, exports, and jobs in the apparel industry.  The students are living in uncertainty and have many queries regarding their future. The webinar on Career in Fashion Design, Retail and Manufacturing was presented by industry experts and was very insightful for all the participants. It covered important aspects of the apparel industry and addressed the queries of the students as well.