Teejay extends partnership with Moratuwa University for 10th year and beyond

A milestone in industry – academia collaboration was reached recently when Teejay Lanka PLC extended its partnership with the University of Moratuwa for two more years, a period that will encompass the 10th anniversary of the relationship.

The decade-long collaboration between the Sri Lanka’s first multinational textile manufacturer and the country’s largest provider of manpower training for the textile and clothing industry has led to closer integration of curricula with industry needs and the growth of the annual Graduation Fashion Show of the University’s Department of Textile and Clothing Technology into a mega event. Teejay’s designers are all graduates of Fashion Design from the University of Moratuwa, the company said in a media release.

Under the terms of the extended Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, Teejay will continue to provide industrial placements and fostering schemes for Fashion Design and Product Development and Textile Engineering students of the university, and facilitate short-term industry placements for foreign students affiliated to the university through academic linkage programmes.

Teejay will also provide knit fabric, yarn samples and hangers, free of charge, to the University of Moratuwa for education purposes. Additionally, as customary, the company will sponsor the Annual Graduation Fashion Show of the graduates of the Bachelor of Design in Fashion Design and Product Development. The event is a platform for batches of final-year students to showcase their innovative collections of apparel lines and win awards.

In a move to create a batch of students who are career-ready, Teejay will also hold workshops on general management, career development, marketing and business strategy development, leadership, sustainability and textile, cost analysis and basic finance, branding, and other industry-specific topics and personal development goals for these students, the release said.

In return, the university will extend its knowledge and support to strengthen in-house design and technical expertise of Teejay through a series of workshops that will focus on a wide range of co-current industry topics while acting as advisors to the company to develop new products for identified clientele. The university will also provide insights on fashion trends, sustainable fashion, and cost and waste reduction as well as expertise on developing range plans, mood boards, designing, innovative testing methods, research on fabric and future-fabric manufacture and development methodologies.

Furthermore, the university has agreed to release members of its staff for limited periods, to be employed by Teejay to further strengthen the partnership.