Pedagogy and Professional Development

What skills and knowledge do clothing and textile graduates need for the workforce? Qualitative reflections from clothing and textile faculty and industry professionals

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Abstract

The question of how to best prepare students for jobs in the fast-paced and ever-changing clothing and textiles (CT) industry is important because students face an increasingly competitive job market upon graduation. CT scholars have consistently conducted research with this question as their foundation (e.g., Albloushy, Frazier, & Yun, 2012; Hodges, Yurchisin, Karpova, Marcketti, Hegland, & Yan, 2012; Kean, Eckman, Ellis, Miller, & Vineyard, 2013; Ma & Hahn, 2014). The purpose of this study was to provide an updated assessment of the skills and knowledge that CT faculty and industry professionals have deemed critical and marketable for students to succeed in industry jobs. In so doing, the work of the aforementioned scholars is updated and available for faculty use to assist with teaching and curriculum development processes.

How to Cite:

Reeves-DeArmond, G., Mower, J. & Nishida, K., (2015) “What skills and knowledge do clothing and textile graduates need for the workforce? Qualitative reflections from clothing and textile faculty and industry professionals”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 72(1).