Participants at the workshop in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Jan. 13: Industry pundits said there are many jobs on offer in the garment industry, applicants only need to be aware of the opportunities, at a workshop organised by ATDC-IGNOU Community College in the state capital today.

The six-day workshop which began on January 10, has both theoretical and practical workshops to provide experience to the participants, said a source.

The main purpose of the workshop is to provide technical experience to students who wish to pursue a career in the garments industry, added the source. They were also being provided information about the latest technology and machinery in the field.

The participants were told about the various government schemes for professionals in the garments industry.

In the technical session, various professionals discussed topics related to manufacturing, purchasing, promoting and selling of textiles.

Ibha Singh, faculty member at the college, spoke on the necessity to learn about the various textiles.

Students also learnt about various fabrics and what purposes they are used for. It is essential to have a knowledge about fabric if one wants to design clothes, said a source.

Mukesh Kumar Karn, another faculty member, said, “Conceptual design and creativity cannot be ignored in design. Production can be managed through hard work but there is no substitute for creativity in design.”

Pawan Kumar Singh, another faculty member, spoke on the latest machinery in the field. He said: “To do bulk work fast and with accuracy, the latest machinery can be of great help”.

Anjani Kumar Mishra the principal of the college, said: “Interested people can explore their markets even at a small level. Housewives can earn a few extra bucks by setting up a latest machine in their homes.”

He also spoke about the Smart sceme launched by the central government in which a month-long to five-month courses is available for persons having passed Class V. The course fee ranges between Rs 1,200 and 6,000. In the later part of the workshop, students had the practical learning with handling the latest machinery.

Rushy Ahmad, a student at the workshop, said: “It was great workshop. We got to know about various kinds of materials. I worked on machines I had never seen before.”