Apparel institute in talks for overseas tie-ups

Dec 17, 2007, 13:06 GMT

Ahmedabad, Dec 17 ((IANS) The city-based Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) is exploring tie-ups with institutes in Britain and the US for facilitating management programmes for working professionals in retail merchandising.

The Apparel Export Promotion Council (APEC) has promoted the IAM, which was inaugurated in September this year.

In the US, the IAM is holding discussions with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). The California-based FIDM offers programmes in fashion design, interior design, merchandise marketing, and merchandise product development, besides beauty industry merchandising and marketing.

The IAM is also talking to the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, and Trent University at Nottingham, Britain.

In line with the rapid growth of global fashion industry, the institute has already initiated partnerships with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, LaSalle-SIA in Singapore, LDT Nagold in Germany and Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain.

The memorandums of understanding with institutes will help the IAM in designing its curriculum for mutual enrichment and recognition and also promoting exchange of students and faculty members.

The institute is offering a four-week customised programme in partnership with London College of Fashion in May 2008 for its first year students of apparel marketing and merchandising.

The programme will provide students with the understanding of the UK market in terms of buying patterns, retail structure and formats.

The IAM's core mission is to develop fashion industry-oriented retail professionals by equipping them with skills to work as merchandisers, buyers, depot managers and shopfloor managers in retail stores.

IAM was set up as there is a huge gap in the availability and requirement of personnel for apparel industry, especially in the area of merchandising and vendor management.

APEC has estimated that there is a dearth of almost 250,000 managers in the sector at all levels.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service