Training and building careers in the apparel industry

The history of fashion and apparel in India is as old as our civilization. The industry has been evolving ever since and is today one of the biggest industries in the country. India is also one of the largest exporters of textiles and clothes. Set up in 1992, with four manufacturing units spread across Haryana, this garment manufacturing company produces 350000 pieces per month with 1500 machines inhouse.

We caught up with Mr. Yoginder Mukim, Managing Director, Pyoginam, to know the training and production and the role of technology in the apparel industry, the importance of student placements and industry connect for the training institutions and their collaboration with ATDC. Read on to know more.

Q: Could you tell us about Pyoginam’s collaboration with ATDC?

A: We are connected with ATDC to hire industry-ready students from there. It is difficult to mold the students as per the industry requirements when they do not have the basics. However, the training that ATDC provides is industry-relevant and it helps the students to adapt to the working environment without much difficulty. It then becomes easier for us to train them according to the industry needs and these students learn very fast. We don’t have to worry about providing them the basics as they are already well equipped with it.

Q: Do you also provide some kind of training in your organization for newcomers as well as existing customers?

A: Whenever there is a new development in the industry, we make sure we impart it to our employees. We reskill and upskill our employees based on the current trends in the industry. We also have a special training program for all our employees which includes an induction program for all the departments. We also provide OJT where we start with the basics of garments, which is very helpful for the newly graduated students who do not have much of the industry experience. We have a program where students from different institutes come to our factories to get industry exposure and complete their OJTs which are a part of their curriculum.

Q: How are you coping with the fast-changing fashion?

A: We are a garment manufacturing company and our garments mostly cater to the European fashion market. We have many buyers from European countries. We currently have four production units. We keep updating our designs as we have a dedicated team of designers and a designing department. We also hire 10-15 textile engineers from institutes every year whom we assign to the designing and manufacturing department. Every day we make about 10-15 new samples. We also have a very good collection for buyers.

Q: What is the role and impact of technology in the apparel industry?

A: Technology has definitely made a positive impact on our industry. We use modern technologies in our production units. Now we don’t really have to courier the sample garments to the buyers as they can have a look at all the samples with the use of many modern technologies. We are also thinking of investing in software which will make the shopping experience easier for our buyers. We always lookout for new technologies which are going to be helpful for our company.

Related Article: How this entrepreneur put his apparel design skills to use in building India’s biggest polyester sportswear company – Read More: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/how-this-entrepreneur-put-his-apparel-design-skills-to-use-in-building-indias-biggest-polyester-sportswear-company/

Q: What would you suggest to the youngsters who want to build a career in the Apparel industry?

A: Those who aspire to build a career in this industry should first learn the basics and become industry ready by going to institutions like ATDC. Then they can apply for companies that they are interested in after they are done with the courses. They should choose the factories which are organized and where they will be able to learn new skills and acquire greater knowledge.