The HRD Ministry on Wednesday approved the Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC), the country’s largest vocational training provider, to roll-out Bachelor in Vocational Programmes for Apparel Fashion sectors in India.
This is one of the first initiatives taken keeping in view the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on skill development under the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSFQ) Scheme.
With the ever increasing requirement of skilled-youth in the rapidly growing IT/Fashion related sectors, there is distinct rise in demand for skill education courses for the new generation. In an attempt to reduce the growing gaps between skilled man power requirements and availability in the apparel industry, ATDC signed the MoU with All India Council of Technical Training (AICTE), for approval to offer B. Voc Programmes in Apparel Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship and Fashion Design & Retailing.
The MoU was signed by AICTE chairman SS Mantha and ATDC chairman Virender Uppal in the presence of HRD Secretary Satya N Mohanty for 30 training centres. On the occasion Mohanty appreciated ATDC for initiating this unique vocational course in apparel sector. “This course will not only be helpful in skilling the youth but also resonate the make in India pitch in the textile and garment industry,” he said.
Mantha said this arrangement would encourage employability, and also flexibility to pursue formal education and take up appropriate jobs in the Fibre-to-Fashion value chain at the end of different levels of certification with better employability and learning capacity
The NSQF is a nationally integrated education and competency based skill framework that will provide for multiple pathways, horizontal as well as vertical, both within vocational education and vocational training and among vocational education, vocational training, general education and technical education, thus linking one level of learning to another higher level.