SLTC producing skilled personnel to cater to the needs of the Textile Industry
View(s):The Centre for Fashion, Textile and Clothing Technologies (CFTCT) is the newest entry to Sri Lanka’s Technological Campus (SLTC) at Padukka which is in a salubrious atmosphere providing all the necessary mood for learning, excitement, experimenting and a new way of life. It is a place for developing new talent to become future leaders of your chosen career. The CFTCT is operating under the aegis of the School of Technology of SLTC.
This is a multi-disciplinary partnership at Sri Lanka Technological Campus bringing together textile and fashion merchandise and array of talent across the university. SLTC is an emerging hub that created a partnership between education and research in the industry to inspire the next generation of industry leaders.
The Centre for Fashion, Textile and Clothing Technologies understands youth and their talents. The CFTCT endeavors to inspire youth and unleash their creativity into the industry at large. We thrive on developing students to their potential and make them to learn independently. We have staff from the industry who are well experienced, conversed and capable of guiding the students to achieve their aspirations. We prize independence and creation. We mix fashion and technology, management and Merchandising. We inspire and empower the youth. We wish to champion the new, the different and the brave.
We have developed two undergraduate study Programmemes leading to BSc in textile and clothing technology and the other is BSc in fashion merchandise management. These are two new courses developed under the guidance of Industry Consultative Boards. These courses are industry oriented and they have been recommended by the industry. These courses cover the breadth of the industry from fabric manufacturing to clothing manufacturing, fashion to management, business to product development. These courses give you the skills, experience, contacts and confidence to succeed in the competitive world of clothing & manufacturing. They are relevant to the needs of the industry. These courses have a placement learning opportunity for students and it is a privilege. Garment factories offer excellent placement learning opportunities, because the factories know the benefit to their company, the industry and to our education.
Our goal is to provide a platform that will put our students ahead of the competition and discover their strong areas which they could further develop whilst in the industry. The university has so much of resources and industry connections where students can take advantage of them. Therefore, we encourage the students to discuss with the staff and explore and experiment their ideas. The CFTCT shall promote a culture that empowers students to create their own opportunities for professional development. We create an atmosphere where students can rise to the challenge and fulfil their potential. We have developed our degree courses for those with ambition and drive to become masters of their craft, provide inspired solutions for industry’s demands and to shape the future of the clothing industry.
We have planned to set up state of the art workshops and laboratories for the benefit of our students as well as industry. The students will have a feel of a factory environment within these workshops because the machines will have normal production. We will have a variety of fabrics and they will in turn be used by the students to create their own designed outfits. We will have a fully fledged CAD room equipped with design and product development paraphernalia to give the students the unlimited freedom in design and development. This facility will be matched by the state of the art sewing room which will make the students dreams come true. There is a separate manual pattern making room equipped with all the instruments and workroom stands and a sample making room. Computer assisted work measurement and production planning software will help the students to broaden their horizon in production management. The textile testing laboratory which will have chemical and physical testing shall operate from Colombo, making it convenient for the industry to take advantage of it.
CFTCT is expected to start professional enterprise Programmemes for those who wish to have startups. CFTCT will have staff who can provide information for those who wish to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. We are planning to launch professional courses to train on, self-employment disciplines such as batik making, Handloom fabric for curtaining and sarees, garments making, small scale weaving or knitting units etc. In addition to these we can provide training on pattern construction, garment production and productivity, quality improvement techniques, garment production supervisory management. All these courses are ideal for those who are working in the clothing industry. All plans have been finalised to launch a part time course leading to a Diploma in clothing manufacturing for mature students who wish to enter the industry as well as to those who are in the industry. This course will provide a good insight to the clothing manufacturing. The participants will be selected by an interview to ensure the suitability of the candidate for the course. The professional enterprise Programmemes will be conducted in our Colombo premises during weekends.
We know our students will be able to find opportunities not only in our textile and clothing industry but also in overseas industries as well. We shall provide all assistance to our students to make their careers successful and help to get started with employment as they leave the campus. As examples the following will be the placement opportunities might be available in the industry,
Management Trainee, Trainee Merchandiser, Procurement Officer, Trainee Retail Customer, Buyer’s Admin Assistant, Consumer Insight, Marketing Trainee, Merchandising Assistant, Marketing Analyst, Design Trainee, Garment Technologist, Production Assistant, Quality Improvement Officer, Accessories Merchant, Product Developer, Pattern Room Officer, Pattern Making Trainee, Fashion Merchandise Trainee, Retail Sales Officer, Retail Stores Trainee, Consumer Relations Officer, Sustainable Development Officer, Compliance Officer, Fabric Buying Trainee, Product Costing Officer, Textile Testing Trainee, Commercial Shipping Assistant etc.