AEPC plans management institute

The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is planning to invest Rs 50 cr to set up an Institute of Apparel Management in New Delhi in three months. The move is aimed at creating managerial cadre professionals in the sector.

The council plans to open the institute in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai too in 2-3 years. It has has already identified the site in Hyderabad and construction activities would begin soon.

For the Mumbai facility, AEPC is in talks with the Bombay Textile Research Association for the institute and it would initiate dialogue with the West Bengal government for the fourth institute.

The $20 billion apparel industry requires about five lakh trained manpower today. The number is estimated to increase up to 20 lakh by 2010.

"The industry has taken steps to provide inhouse training to unskilled labours on sustained basis. But creating managerial cadre professionals has been a challenge for us. Hence, we decided to set up an institute especially for graduates for managerial positions," said Vijay Agarwal, chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council.

With the dismantling of quota regime in 2005, the highly competitive apparel industry has become volumes driven, said Agarwal. Though textile exports grew 22 per cent in the first year of free quota regime, the US and EU have remained the major exports market.

"The time has come to explore new potential markets to boost our exports," he said. Exports of Indian textiles to the US has grown by just 14.6 per cent in January-June 2006 even as the overall textile imports of the US rose by 30 per cent during the same period.