04 November 2022, Mumbai:
Nearly every aspect of life has changed due to the global epidemic, including some developments for which we weren't necessarily prepared. One of these has been the speeding up of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), which felt far off at the time but arrived considerably sooner than anticipated.
Post-COVID: 'Empowering Female Workers in the Apparel Industry' is become imperative given this segment got battering during the pandemic.
R.U.N
Manufacturers might naturally get cracking by ramping up recruitment efforts to match the demands of this digital transformation along supply chains. Still, it's worthwhile looking more closely at the advantages of reskilling, upskilling, and new-skilling (R.U.N) current employees/workforce to save time, energy, and money.
Resilience is my name
Given that 2030 is the turning point when India's demographic structure will start to change, fashion and design education must manufacture a paradigm shift for millennials and the Gen-Next/Gen Z. According to the broad theme which is very simple given (MoT) Ministry of Textiles' vision and strategy as described in the Action Plan Document of 2014 and what gives heart is the incumbent of the day, Piyush Goyal's iteration in public fora over & over and again that," The textile and apparel industry (T&A) has the potential to reach US $ 300 billion in exports and USD 350 billion in domestic retail by 2024–2025, capable of heavy lifting creating an incremental 35 million jobs and the article reaffirms the trade conviction that there is a lot of room for upside".
Stepping back to the year 1991, when economic liberalization began here, India's apparel/garment merchant exports were just over Rs. 6000 crores at that stage, whilst as per the latest trade reports," Export of ready-made apparel/garments (RMG) stood at USD 16 billion with 36% share showing a growth of 31 percent and 3 percent during 2021-22 Vs. FY21 and FY20, respectively".
Textile sector is the 2nd largest job provider
The holy grail of this sector is that no other industrial sector offers as many job opportunities, particularly for young people and women in rural India given the thesis," Several studies have underpinned time and again the tangible potential of the apparel sector to generate as many as approximately 70 jobs/employment for every single crore rupee invested there".
In India, there are in excess of 500 fashion design colleges and departments in addition to the celebrated 17 NIFTs. Currently, 3000–3500 students on average graduate from the 17 NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) locations, which is still a tiny fraction of the high-caliber professionals needed by this enormous textile–apparel–fashion–lifestyle–luxury value chain, which has tremendous growth potential while heavily utilizing India's traditional skills, heritage and creativity.
Skillset or Skill Set
Given a common observation in the corporate world that is gaining traction is that, companies often attempt to bring in outside workers with particular backgrounds when the demand for an employee with a specific skill set arises.
Therefore, businesses are becoming more aware of the significant cost reductions that can result from utilizing employees who are currently on their payroll hence the merit in imparting sustained skilling as AI and automation progress offsetting any CAPEX/investment burden.
Before the pandemic struck, a few major global business enterprises were investing in reskilling, upskilling, and new-skilling (R.U.N) their workforce but the trend has seen quite an upside Post-COVID.
Change Is The Only Constant
According to the hard trade data points/analysis, the apparel market is estimated to be around US$136 billion in the year 2022 and is likely to expand by 12–13% or thereabouts. According to the research, between 15 and 20% of the current jobs will be in jeopardy by 2022 considering the present-day skillset requirement undergoing a sea change.
The research further sheds light that a total of 31.4 million jobs are projected to be created in the apparel sector up to 2022, with 12.1 million employees/workforce projected to be coming through new job creation and the remainder 35–40% requiring significant content modifications so to say.
Due to this, (R.U.N) new skill development phenomenon will be needed to focus/concentrate on a variety of emerging job profiles & skillsets, comprising those of a digital merchandiser, digital pattern maker, laser cutter, assembly operator, apparel data analyst, PLC maintenance specialist, environment specialist, e-textile/apparel specialist, online retail specialist, etc.
New cognitive talents, process skills, IT & Hardware capabilities, and complex problem-solving abilities will be needed as we move ahead aspiring to be a part of global supply chains as a preferred partner when world scouts for China alternatives.
Sector Skill Councils (SSC)
Describing how pivotal the role and responsibilities of SSC's in any trade promotion is; "The National Occupational Standard is making considerably significant contributions of NSDC to raise and foster India's skilling ecosystem firing imagination- something that was made possible by the introduction of SSCs in the changing trade dynamics".
The "TI UK Fashion Business Specialist Course" is available in 8 Modules in a hybrid delivery model of face-to-face and online classes, offered by Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), a society under the aegis of AEPC, is one of India's largest vocational training networks about 100 Centres, is an excellent example of a new skilling approach driving a shift in the changing trade mindset.
Replacement of jobs here like helper, material handler, packer, checker, folder, and even essential Sewing Machine Operator (SMO) will need and require a new type of multitasking operator, which also may be part of new-skilling rather than just upskilling since unquestionably this requires an altogether different mindset.
Designpreneurs Playbook
With the limits of the digital world being erased, opportunities for "designpreneurs" to make money are now abundant. To propel India to a leading/respectable position in fashion, there is a need to cultivate new-age "designpreneurs" and fashion experts who can mix left and right brains so to say to create incremental and revolutionary innovations leading to curating disruptive unconventional business models ticking the right boxes.
The vibrant fashion industry is diverse, much like the fragmented Textile-Apparel (T&C) value chain.
Taking cognizance of the challenges of the day, a more comprehensive/holistic and multi/transdisciplinary approach, supported by applied research, and a razor focus on advanced skills, more particularly Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skills, will help mould aspirant students into entrepreneurs and managers with the capacity for innovation ensuring this to go a long way.
