New courses for fashion industry

MMU has announced a link up with two further education colleges to offer courses for professionals in the fashion and textiles industry.

Liverpool Community College, Wigan and Leigh College and MMU's Department of Clothing Design and Technology will join forces to run a series of short courses for technicians and managers already working in fashion, clothing technology and other related professions.

The courses, part of the £159,000 North West Higher Level Skills Pathfinder programme, will be designed with industry and piloted from June.

Principal lecturer Angela Peers, who is chair of academic enterprise at MMU’s Hollings Faculty, said the collaboration would promote stronger links between education and industry.

Personal

"Companies want to tackle particular issues or problems, and these are often quite ‘personal’ to an organization, so we will work with interested parties to design courses that address such issues which in turn help with staff development and long-term succession planning.

"The courses may be delivered at the three partner institutions or on company premises, in the evening, or in one or three-day block mode. This is flexible depending on the organisation’s requirements, with different modules being delivered by each institution."

Junior managers, assistant buyers, technologists and design and product development staff are being specifically targeted.

"The collaboration will make it easier for those already in work to get a degree," Angela said.

Relevant

"There may be employees who want to get a relevant qualification – and this progression route via our further education partners opens up new doors for them to achieve this goal."

MMU's Department of Clothing Design and Technology has a proven track record for its work with industry. It has developed bespoke programmes for companies ranging from large British retailers to small and medium-sized enterprises in the North West.

"We know what industry wants – and we look forward to building on existing relationships to make this new partnership a success," Angela said.

For more about Clothing Design Technology and Fashion courses at MMU, go to www.hollings.mmu.ac.uk