Workers Get Back on Track With SMC Training Program
The apparel industry has been said to be late to the show when it comes to adopting technology. The state of California is trying to change that.
With the help of Santa Monica College, the state’s Employment Training Panel (ETP) has committed more than $400,000 to a program that offers free computer, language, design and business communications training to the apparel industry workforce.
The program has received funding through the summer of 2006 and has an option to increase the amount to $700,000, said Project Manager Troy Parr of SMC’s office of workforce and economic development. The money originates from state taxpayers’ unemployment insurance payroll deductions of one-tenth of 1 percent. The entire fund stands at about $70 million.
The aim is to energize the industry, grow employment and keep jobs in California, which has supplanted New York as the nation’s leading apparel manufacturing market, based on employment numbers.
The ETP program is offered at the Cooper Design Space in the Los Angeles Fashion District. Classes take place Monday through Thursday evenings and all day on Saturdays.
Courses are offered in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, two important design programs that many have yet to master. ESL courses (English as a second language), fashion and design techniques, and business communications are also part of the curriculum.
Participants must be employed full-time by apparel manufacturers or distributors or by related industries, Parr said. “It could be for someone who has been in the industry for a while and has fallen behind with new technology, or it could be for someone looking to improve their workplace language skills,” he explained.
“It’s a win-win situation,” said Joan Blank, who took Photoshop and Illustrator courses. “The quality of instruction was superlative. I have a master’s degree with credits toward a Ph.D., and I still learned a tremendous amount. I couldn’t imagine anybody not taking advantage of this.” Blank, a veteran manufacturer, is a partner at Crave Apparel and the O2Cool label.
Courses range from 24 to 180 hours. Photoshop and Illustrator courses generally take about 12 weeks to complete.
Guess? Inc., Bebe Stores Inc. and Tarrant Apparel Group are among the companies that have taken advantage of the program since its launch last fall. Instructors are provided by SMC, a two-year school that offers degree and transfer programs. “In some cases, such as Guess’, we actually went onsite to provide instruction,” Parr said.
About 175 participants have been trained so far. One recent class featured veteran designer Iris Lee, who gave an insider’s view on how to deal with suppliers and the hurdles that manufacturers often encounter.
SMC hopes to train about 350 participants by the time the program ends next summer.
“A program like this is good for education and the industry. If you look at the classified ads [in the trades], you see a lot of demand for technically trained staff that can do the spec packs and tech packs,” said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association.
SMC recently joined the Vernon Chamber of Commerce and has a launched an ad campaign to get the word out about the program.
For more information, call Parr or Felecito Cajayon at (310) 434-3749. —Robert McAllister
