Gate Keeping #2

I had an amazing conversation with Fern Lippert, courtesy of Sandy Bailey's introduction. Fern shares similar views on the importance of college’s & university’s roles in equipping students with the skills needed to hit the ground running.

So of course, I got to thinking:

If Apparel companies are expected to step up their technology game (and therefore their sustainability game), the entry level employees need to have the skills before they walk in the door.

But the responsibility falls on all sides of the equation.

1.)  The software companies need to engage & support education with in-depth training not only as users but also as advisors on how best to incorporate it into curriculum. Free licenses don't hurt either.
2.)  Apparel companies need to engage & support education by communicating what they need from entry level employees with apparel programs. College visits wouldn't hurt either.
3.)  Education needs to reach out to the apparel industry technology companies, as well as apparel experts, & engage them in their curriculum.

And EVERYONE needs to realize education moves slowly.

That said, education needs to speed things up if they are to be viable to the future generation of the apparel industry.

Word travels fast, and if your program isn’t able to boast a good percentage of graduates that receive job offers, your enrollment will dwindle.

And there is too much work to do in the Apparel Industry to lose quality future employees.