Schools Get Creative in Preparing Students for Careers
Fashion colleges are tightening up their relationships with the apparel industry and developing new and unique work programs aimed at better preparing students for life in the real world.
More than ever, students are working directly with apparel manufacturers and distributors in programs that go way beyond internships. The benefits reaped are not only for students but also for manufacturers.
Los Angeles–based Otis College of Art & Design this summer launched what could be considered a model program for the industry and fashion schools alike. The company aligned with Warnaco Swimwear Group to create an apprenticeship program for 10 sophomores over the next three years. The students are placed in jobs throughout the company’s divisions. One student, for example, has a competitive swimwear background and is working with the company on a project for the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. Another student is working with Anne Cole and another with Michael Kors. All the apprentices will participate in Warnaco’s annual swimwear fashion show next week at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Five of the 10 will be invited back to the program next summer. Eventually, one will end up working as an associate designer for the company, skipping the entry-level assistant designer position, said Marianne Hudz, director of career services for the college.
“All this came out of a breakfast meeting with Kathy van Ness [Warnaco’s executive vice president]. We knew Warnaco wanted to support the college and provide opportunities for the students as well as create a buzz about swimwear. We had a need for more opportunities at the sophomore level, so it was a win for everyone. My goal is to extend it to half of the students in fashion.”
Even those students who do not advance to next year’s program stand to gain a significant amount of on-the-job training to help them attain career positions upon graduation.
Added Roger Williams, president of Warnaco Swimwear: “What’s good for the industry is good for us. These are real jobs with real responsibilities. It allows the apprentices to contribute and hit the floor running when they are hired by a company.”
Williams said Warnaco offers about 35 students internships, addressing various disciplines from production to finance.
California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona has also forged strong relationships with apparel companies—including American Apparel, Karen Kane and Warnaco—through its apparel merchandising and management program, which offers internships for seniors as well as industry/academic projects.
During the course of the program, students work with a manufacturer to identify a production problem, work together to solve the problem and then present the solution to the company. The experience they gain has been evident in placement results, said Dr. Cindy Regan, director of the program. “Our alumni are successful in their careers. Company executives have mentioned to faculty that they are very pleased with the skills and abilities of our alums, and many are promoted to more responsible positions within a short time,” she said.
Regan said the success of the program stems from developing relationships between the school and the industry. This means making one-on-one visits, establishing internships, participating in industry/academic projects, developing advisory boards and conducting testing on decision-making skills during the hiring process.
Otis’ career placement rates are also strong. For its 2004 graduating class, 90 percent gained jobs upon graduation, according to Hudz.
Most gained employment through the college’s Portfolio Review Day, when companies from around the country visit Otis’ main campus. Others found jobs through the school’s online resources, as well as through internships, alumni contacts and their own resources. Others started their own lines.
The average starting salary ranges from $35,000 to $40,000 and the career trajectory for alumni is strong, Hudz said. Several reap more than $100,000 per year within seven years of graduation. Companies that hired Otis’ 2004 grads include St. John Knits, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike Inc., Bebe Stores Inc., BCBG, Guess? Inc., Hollister Co., Henry Duarte and Juicy Couture.
Though apparel industry employment figures continue to drift downward in California, the numbers are a bit deceiving, explained Barbara Bundy, vice president of education for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, which operates four campuses in Southern California.
“Our graduates generally don’t go to work on sewing machines. There are a lot of jobs here. There are certain segments that are alive and well. L.A. is the premium denim capital of the world. Juniors is going nuts. Any student with realistic expectations can get a job.”
FIDM has a career center that offers portfolio reviews; career path assistance; job leads; internships; and on-campus events such as job fairs, workshops in reacute;sumeacute; writing and networking functions. Alumni/industry events are also valuable to help get graduates off on the right track, Bundy said.
Training in technology
One of the complaints from the industry about hiring fashion school graduates has been the lack of technology training. To address this concern, school administrators have been stepping up their technology investments. FIDM, for example, has partnered with Gerber Technology Inc., which provides the school with design and product development software packages. The school also opened an 11,500-square-foot Design Studio, designed by noted architect Clive Wilkinson. The center offers 104 computers and wi-fi set-ups in an ergonomic environment featuring blue glass boxes and other details aimed at stirring up creative juices.
Apparently it is working. Bundy reported that a number of FIDM grads have launched unique businesses. Among them are Emily Heintz and Katie Bogue, who debuted Label Los Angeles (www.label-la.com), an online retailer specializing in fashions from Los Angeles designers. Graduates Su-Lyn Tay and Shadi Askari started T-Bags as a bags line about four years ago and have since expanded to sportswear, footwear and accessories.
The Internet has become a tool for finding jobs. At Career Education Corp. schools, which include Brooks College in Long Beach, Calif., and American Intercontinental University in Los Angeles, students have access to an in-house online resource for jobs, internships and networking. There are also “virtual expos” offering chat sessions, guest speakers, streaming videos and other features.
“We’ve been focused on technology from the beginning,” said Brooks President Al Nederhood, who said the school added about 350 computers offering wireless technology and partnered with Lectra for CAD and other applications.
Classrooms at Brooks have been retooled to include interactive technology that makes the educational experience more hands-on, said Anniliesel LaFlamme, director of career services for Brooks.
Another aspect of technology is adapting to the new global supply chain. FIDM offers product data management (PDM) classes that show students how to manage production using computers and how to manage product development from afar.
In FIDM’s recent international manufacturing and product development project, eight graduates presented thesis projects dealing with product collaboration, from concept to the consumer.“It’s a unique program and involved several trips to Europe to premium trend houses,” Bundy said.
Speaking at the recent California Design College graduation in Los Angeles, technology executive Henry Cherner of AIMS Software told students that education is just part of being successful in a career. He said most jobs require a degree from a fashion college and technology training in PDM, CAD, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and business systems such as AIMS and electronic data interchange.
“The problem I see is that some students have the fashion training behind them when they leave school, but they don’t have the business side down. That’s important,” he said.
