JAAF ties up with Fulbright Commission on human capital strengthening

TIE-UP: The Joint Apparel Exporter’s Forum (JAAF) has secured the services of the Fulbright Commission to provide direction and guidance in developing the education levels of the industry and to strengthen the competence of the human capital of the Apparel Industry.

Two consultants under the Senior Specialist Programme of the Fulbright Commission arrived in Sri Lanka on January 13.

Dr. Raymon Bruce and Dr. Sharon Bruce were on a 42 day visit where they studied the current frameworks implemented in our education system to better understand mechanisms of forging stronger private and state sector partnerships to improve the relevance of education in the current industrial context.

They met stakeholders of the government, industry and the education fields, including the, Ministry of Textile Development, University Grants Commission, the Institute of Policy Studies, Chamber of Commerce, JAAF, the BOI, the University of Moratuwa, Clothing Industry Training Institute and Textile Training Services Centre (CITI/TTSC), the Open University of Sri Lanka and several other private and State organisations.

The highlight of this visit was the holding of a symposium on February 19, 2007 at the Ceylon Continental Hotel where all stakeholders of this initiative provided their views on the way forward in the formation of this entity that aims to create a virtual network of all the key stakeholders spanning government, industry, education and training providers.

The event which was facilitated by Sensei (Pvt) Ltd under the guidance of the Fulbright consultants provided a clear direction on the way forward to all related stakeholders.

The College of Apparel and Textiles (COAT), an initiative conceptualised by the Apparel Industry, is a focal point of the visit where the mechanisms of its implementation are being analysed in an in-depth manner.

This entity, funded by the government, will be responsible for ensuring that education providers fashion their curricula in line with the emerging trends of the global Apparel and Textile Industry.

This body will clearly articulate the human capital needs of the industry to both the private and State education providers in order to align these institutions, to ensure that the industry is being supplied with competent human capital, who are up to date on the latest technologies and trends.

The Human Resource Development subcommittee of JAAF headed by Mahesh Amalean has been instrumental in conceptualising several initiatives of this nature which has provided Sri Lanka a sound platform to compete with other nations through its knowledgeable workforce.

Collaborations with the London College of Fashion, UK and North Carolina State University of the USA are some of the other partnerships that are currently in place which is providing an impetus for the uplift of the Human Resources of the Industry.

It is envisaged that these initiatives would form another key component in the positioning strategy of the nation in the upcoming 85th World Textile Institute Conference which is scheduled to be held in March 2007 in the shores of Sri Lanka.