New Textile Education Program for Industry Workers
California State University, Los Angeles will launch an extended education program called “Textile: Production and Management” for apparel and textile workers. The new program is set to begin in January in downtown Los Angeles.
The certificate program was designed “for people in the textile industry so they can upgrade skills to stay in the industry and advance their careers,” said Dr. Carol Tuntland, dean of the department of art at CSULA.
The program will feature 14 courses, including “Introduction to the Los Angeles Textile and Apparel Industry,” “Fibers, Yarns and Fabrics,” “Knit Constructions,” “Textile Applications,” “Textile Quality Control,” “Textile Dyeing and Color Analysis,” “Textile Plant Management,” “Textile Marketing and Selling” and “Textile Economics.”
Courses will be taught in the evening at The New Mart in downtown Los Angeles and onsite at local textile mills.
The classes will be taught by industry professionals, including California Fashion Association Executive Director Ilse Metchek, who will teach the “Introduction to the Los Angeles Textile and Apparel Industry” course, and Cassandra Durant-Hamm, textile executive consultant and former Cotton Inc. executive, who will teach the “Fibers, Yarns and Fabrics” class.
The cost is $125 per course. To qualify for a certificate in textile production management, applicants must take five required courses and four elective courses.
Tuntland said the new program has been in the works for the past year with the help of several industry leaders, including Metchek; Durant- Hamm; Kathlyn Swantko, creator of FabricLink. com and TheTechnicalCenter.com; Ted Kronfli of circular knit mill Kronfli Spundale; Bruce Huffa of flatbed knitter Conchetta Bruce; Peter Krausz of TrimKnit; Peter Chen of S&S Supplies; Victor Kim of Cherish International; Annabella Morency of American Apparel; Daniel Kadisha of Texollini; Jack Tasso of TSR Yarns; and Sion Shamian of Shamrod.
The program was initially funded by a $50,000 grant from the California Commission on Extended Universities as a “reflection of the impact of the fashion and textile industry in the region,” Tuntland said.
Tuntland anticipates the program will appeal to existing industry workers who are begging to move into management and upper-level production positions.
Classes are set to begin on Jan. 5. The deadline for enrollment is Dec. 20. For more information, call Tuntland at (323) 343-4033 or Joann Edmund at (323) 343-4919. —Alison A. Nieder
