Upskill to meet the new future with Aod-GS
View(s):
As economies around the world shift to meet the needs of a completely different work reality, the most important skills that businesses are looking for have also changed significantly whilst parallel new demands require new skills that arise from the most recent complexities in health, safety, transport and business management, as companies begin to hire smart, looking at roles that benefit the shift to remote work.
Anticipating how professionals in design and fashion need to upskill to meet these new demands, AOD Graduate School was launched with Masters’ programmes that directly address the need to incorporate technology and analytics, parallel to strong entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills. The programmes launched— MA Contour Fashion, MA Design Innovation and MA Design Entrepreneurship & Management respond to the most in-demand skill requirements of 2021 and beyond, already gaining interest from industries.
An international postgraduate qualification in Sri Lanka
The Masters’ programmes are delivered in partnership with De Montfort University (DMU) UK ranked among the 150 best young universities in the world by the influential Times Higher Education magazine, and rated as No.1 for graduate employability. As DMU brings in international relevance and a global perspective of the latest industry demands, AOD Graduate School will structure the programmes to specifically reskill and upskill, with an international faculty who come with decades of experience with teaching in Europe and Asia, will be delivering one-on-one mentorship and specific industry relevant guidance to graduates entering the Masters’ programme at the AOD Graduate School.
Skills to direct leaner operations of increasingly digital economies
The two programmes MA Design Innovation and MA Design Entrepreneurship & Management respond to the needs of a number of industries, and target professionals who want to step into senior leadership roles in businesses. The roles that these programmes aim to prepare graduates for, are precisely the type that businesses will bank on as they move towards leaner operational models with carefully selected permanent staff who can take on leadership roles that will enable businesses to streamline their creative, production, communication and selling operations within increasingly digital economies.
The MA in Contour Fashion at the AOD Graduate School is also DMU’s flagship global programme, and is especially catered to the apparel industry’s impending transformation. It’s a programme that embraces technology, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial skills while preparing students for a career in fashion that particularly lends to lingerie, intimate apparel, underwear, swimwear and structured bodywear that Sri Lankan apparel makers are best known for.
Skills that look good on both
paper and work in action
Speaking about the relevance of these MA programmes for Sri Lanka’s young and skilled workforce, particularly the ambitious industry professionals interested in lifelong learning and advancing their careers, AOD Graduate School three programmes have a special focus on what will enable graduates to excel as individuals, business owners or the leading thinkers and managers behind companies. “We’re not talking about just skills that look good on paper or sound good in theory. We’re talking about preparing professionals and graduates to connect the dots between the business they are in, and the changes in technology taking place right now, the global move towards tighter cybersecurity to support growing online commerce, the healthcare challenges, the all-important relevance of data analytics in identifying changing market trends and consumer behaviour… Basically, they will be those leading creative thinkers, innovators and designers who would already come to us with a thorough knowledge in design thinking, and will now be connected to the big picture of things where what they do becomes relevant to everything else that’s going on in the world, and also the details of bridging those connections with ingenious ideas. It’s what you need to do in preparation for the future.”
Open doors to AOD Graduate Design School at virtual open day
Allowing interested professionals, designers and even parents an opportunity to witness how this international MA programme will prepare its students for a new future, AOD Graduate School announced a virtual open day on 18th December. The digital event will also give prospective students the chance to meet the leading faculty members of the Masters’ programme to ask questions and have a direct conversation on what they can expect with the MAs. Other faculty members and representatives of the De Montfort University (DMU) UK will also be part of the virtual event, allowing participants to understand the makings of the partnership between the two academies. Students already enrolled for the MA programmes will also join in for this event, sharing their stories and aspirations, and talking about how they will be using the AOD Graduate School and DMU Masters’ programme to achieve their dreams.
AOD Graduate School’s lead faculty members alongside AOD -GS invites Sri Lanka’s young design graduates and design professionals, apparel industry professiobals and parents to join in for the virtual open day and engage in an inspiring conversation about the changing face of education, shifts in industry skills, what can be expected in South Asia—particularly Sri Lanka, and where these unique MA programmes respond to the new world.
The AOD Graduate School MA programmes MA Contour Fashion, MA Design Innovation and MA Design Entrepreneurship & Management are now open accepting applications; to find out if you qualify for the programme, to request for preliminary information, or to register for the Virtual Open Day reach amreeya@aod.lk / +94 76 777 1488