India’s true growth potential relies on having a skilled labour force. With over 3.5 million workers in the apparel and garment sector, it’s a huge source of employment, especially for women. But the industry faces stiff global competition in terms of cost and quality. Despite the large labour pool, India struggles to meet rising global demands due to a significant lack of skilled workers. This shortage threatens economic growth and stems from an education system not geared toward vocational skills.
Over 70 per cent of the workforce is either illiterate or has an education below the primary level, limiting their job opportunities and awareness of how to improve their skills. Addressing this gap, The Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), part of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), is dedicated to skill development. Registered as a Society, ATDC was approved as a Nodal Agency by the Ministry of Textiles in 2010 for implementing the Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS).
Celebrating 33 years, ATDC now boasts 84 training centres across 22 states, offering a wide range of courses from 38 to 7000 hours, including diplomas and degrees. Looking ahead, ATDC plans to expand into new areas of skill development, particularly in sustainability. “We’ve diversified our training to cover shopfloor skills, middle management and various diploma to degree courses. Our programmes also include entrepreneurial skills, soft skills and digital inputs like design and calibrations,” said Rakesh Vaid, Sr. Vice Chairman, ATDC and former Chairman AEPC.
Driving change
In the last decade, ATDC’s pan-India network has trained over 3,13,500 candidates, with nearly 80 per cent being women and almost 80 per cent of its graduates securing jobs.
Rakesh emphasised that ATDC’s strong team of 380 expert faculty members maintains close ties with the industry, ensuring quality skill enhancement tailored to the apparel manufacturing sector. Looking ahead, ATDC plans to expand its educational offerings, aligning textiles with home textiles and stitching to promote careers in the field. The focus will shift more towards educational aspects of textiles and clothing, with exploration into technical and specialty textiles. Rakesh stated, “The industry’s biggest focus area is sustainability and we launched degree courses in this area from July, once our research and curriculum were finalised.” To keep pace with technological advancements, ATDC recognises that stitching is evolving into a specialised engineering field, incorporating innovations like ultrasonic stitching and high-speed machines. Rakesh added, “We regularly update our curriculum through initiatives like ‘train the trainers’ to align with these developments.”
Empowering Next Gen
Some in the industry believe that young people are hesitant to join the apparel sector, particularly on the shopfloors, due to the demanding nature of production. While there are many career options available today, Rakesh strongly counters this notion, stating, “People are joining this industry and institutes like ours are dedicated to supporting the youth.”
He noted that attrition happens across all sectors; anyone will seek better opportunities when they arise. However, he highlighted that apparel companies have made significant strides in this area. As India enhances its infrastructure, the clothing industry is expected to grow even in remote regions. With countries like China moving up the value chain, India has numerous opportunities ahead.
Rakesh acknowledged the education levels in India, especially in rural areas. “Our industry can train individuals who may not have formal schooling. While they might not become engineers, they can acquire skills that lead to a respectable livelihood.” He emphasised that youth from Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities remain enthusiastic about careers in apparel.
He stated, “We must work closely with the industry and stay updated. We continually explore new technologies and teaching methods, incorporating advanced tools like AI into our programmes.”
