SUNY Ulster’s Cut and Sew Microcredential was created for students pursuing employment with one of the many Hudson Valley cut and sew manufacturing companies. In this program, students will learn artistic, technical, and theoretical skills that will prepare them to enter the job market with increased employability and opportunities for career advancement.
The Cut and Sew Microcredential consists of three courses: Intro to Commercial Sewing; Intro to Pattern Making; and a choice of either Fit Analysis; Grading, Markers, Laser Cutting; or Tech Packs. The faculty teaching these courses are industry professionals who use the same techniques and equipment in their own work.
Barbara Reer, Assistant Dean for Workforce, Career Development, and Apprenticeship Initiatives at SUNY Ulster shares that students will have access to cutting edge and industry standard software both in the computer labs on campus and on laptops that will be provided for use outside of the classroom. These new courses are also available as electives in SUNY Ulster’s Fashion Design program, providing students with foundations in apparel drawing and design, draping and pattern making, garment construction and design presentation, as well as CAD/CAM.
SUNY Ulster fashion graduates have transferred into programs at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Rhode Island School of Design, Berkley College, and SUNY Oneonta.
Reer is hopeful that after completing the Cut and Sew Microcredential, “students will have the opportunity to take their knowledge to one of the many cut and sew companies here in the Hudson Valley, or to venture out on their own and start their own company.”
Ulster County boasts a thriving and expanding fashion and arts community. Ulster County is situated only a couple of hours from New York City, a major fashion capital of the United States and the world.
According to Lisa Anderson, Fashion Design Adjunct Professor at SUNY Ulster, businesses within the community are eager to support the Cut and Sew Microcredential and are anticipating the emergence of talent that will be developed from this program. Anderson explains, “The Cut and Sew Microcredential offers an exceptional opportunity for students to receive their education here at SUNY Ulster, while utilizing industry technology without going through a traditional fashion or tech design curriculum, and subsequently launching their careers within our emerging fashion and art community.”
SUNY Ulster chose Tukatech as a technology partner for the Cut and Sew Microcredential because, as Anderson expresses, “As a fashion designer and teacher, Tukatech is cutting edge industry technology, and has surpassed my expectations with how it has streamlined and integrated both the design and technical process.”
Anderson herself spent several years using the TUKAcad software professionally at New York fashion companies. She is looking forward to the opportunity to work with Tukatech in this new venture, and the privilege of teaching and mentoring the next generation of fashion and technical designers.
Geoff Taylor, President of TUKAweb, recognizes the public-private partnerships fostered between SUNY Ulster and local fashion businesses. He believes this is why facilities at SUNY Ulster are now as modern and advanced as any other fashion education program.
Taylor affirms, “Students will gain experience with the most widely used fashion CAD software. If they would like to continue to utilize their skills, TUKAcad (unlike other options) is available to students and professionals in affordable packages”
SUNY Ulster (Ulster County Community College) launched a Cut and Sew Microcredential with Tukatech as a technology partner, boasting a state-of-the-art computer lab outfitted with the TUKAcad software for apparel pattern making, grading, and marker making. The Microcredential will also incorporate online training resources from the Tuka Academy of Pattern Engineering (TAPE) as a way for students to accelerate familiarity with the TUKAcad software. In addition, the school has a TUKAjet’n’cut cutter plotter and a Tukatech digitizer.
