The centre for apparel training functions at NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion has invited apparel units to set up their own training centres under the scheme for capacity building in textile sector (Samarth) to groom skilled labourers in the city. “As an average 20 per cent employee either jumps to other units or stop working in the apparel cluster, the units would have to find new employees often. Getting new skilled employees isn’t an easy task,” said KJ Sivagnanam, Head of the Training Centre at NIFT-TEA college. He said the apparel cluster was set up to train unskilled labourers in an informal way by allowing them to join as assistants, especially in floor-level jobs such as tailoring and other allied processes. “Yet, the productivity of the country’s apparel industry is less compared to that of other leading countries.”
Sivagnanam said Samarth was earlier named as the integrated skill development scheme. “The scheme now provides an opportunity to the apparel units to set up their own training centres and train freshers.” With the skilled labourers, he said, the units couldn’t only improve or sustain efficiency, but also better productivity. “With the own training centres, for which the units should allot machines and a classroom, they could train unskilled labourers and employ them. Apart from technical support, which would be provided by the NIFT-TEA training centre, the government would provide Rs. 12,000 per trainee on an average.” NIFT-TEA training centre would conduct an orientation programme for the units regarding the scheme on July 26.
