Executive Q & A

FDDI is ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certified premier institution. FDDI has got a prominent place in global world in the field of fashion, creativity, designing facility & technology, testing facilities & development of human resources. It has also affiliation with leading institutions in the world for quality training & education.Excerpts from an exclusive interview with our Managing Director Mr. Rajeev Lakhara, IRS, where he expressed his views on the cutting-edge training & placement opportunity which FDDI provides in the area of fashion technology and designing, retail management etc.

Question:

How fast is the Indian leather industry growing?

Reply:

There is a major boom in the leather sector. There is a major shift of manufacturing base from Europe, USA to India & China. The industry is expected to grow @ 20-25% in the next five years. It means great opportunity for Indian industries as well as professional managers & fashion designers.

Question:

Is there any specific reason why manufacturing base is shifting to India?

Reply:

The manufacturing base is shifting from Europe, USA to India mainly because of low labour cost, availability of trained skilled manpower, abundance of raw material and the govt. policies.

Question:

What are the employment avenues available in this sector?

Reply:

As I stated earlier, this sector is projected to grow @ 20-25% in the next five years, which simply means we will be requiring another 20-25 lakh skilled manpower at lower level and proportionately huge number of fashion designers, managers, technologists for which FDDI is committed to train high class professional designers & managers.

Question:

How FDDI is planning to scoop-up this sector?

Reply:

FDDI is committed to train high-class professional, managers, fashion designers, technologists to keep pace with the growing demand of the industry. In order to satisfy the growing demand of the industry, we have increased the number of students for these specialized courses. However, I admit that FDDI won’t be able to fulfill all the requirement of the industry & there will be acute shortage of trained professional, manager, designer, and technologist in the near future.

We are trying to solve this mismatch by opening one or two more branches of FDDI in the different parts of the country.

Question:

What is the job prospect of the students passing from FDDI?

Reply:

Job prospects are very excellent. FDDI has 100% placement record. Infact, every student passing out from FDDI has 2 to 3 jobs in hand. In this year all FDDI students have been taken by leading MNC’s & Indian companies like Lifestyle, Westside Steve & Barry, Reebok, Adidas, Bata, Nike, Yonex, Huntsman International, Mirza Tanners, M&B Footwear, Visal Mega Mart, Tommy Hilfiger, Superhouse, Pantaloon, etc.

Question:

What is the prospect of retailing sector in India?

Reply:

The retail sector is booming in India. It is estimated that the country will need 5 lakhs professional annually. However, there is a major shortage. FDDI is providing two & one year course in retail management. These professionals are paid respectable packages.

Question:

What are the courses being run by the institute?

Reply:

FDDI runs various PG, UG & Short-term courses such as:

PG Courses

• PG Diploma in Retail Management (PGDRM); 2 years
• PG Diploma in Creative Designing & CAD-CAM (PGDCD); 2 years
• PG Diploma in Footwear Technology & Management (PGDFTM); 2 years

UG Courses

• Diploma in Leather Goods And Accessories Design (DLGAD); 3 years
• Diploma in Footwear Technology (DFT); 3 years
• Diploma In Fashion Merchandizing &Retail Management (DFMRM); 3 years

Short Term Courses

• Diploma in Retail Sales Management (DRSM); 1 year
• Supervisory course in Footwear Technology (SFT); 1 year
• Footwear Manufacturing Technology (FMT); 6 months

Question:

How can one get admission?

Reply:

Eligible candidates will have to undergo an All India Selection Test (AIST) that consists of a Written Examination, Group Discussion/ Sketching & Personal Interview. Written examination is conducted in the Second / Third week of June 2006. Students seeking admission in FDDI is required to fill-up the application form.

The prospectus and application form can be obtained from the institute & can also be downloaded from the Institute website, www.fddiindia.com.

However, candidates applying for PG Diploma in Creative Designing & CAD / CAM (PGDCD) and Diploma in Leather Accessories and Designing (DLGAD), will also have to undergo Creative Ability Test.