Linkages Between the Curriculum of Institutions Offering Clothing and Textiles and Their Allied Industry

Abstract

There is a need for a link between the curricular of the clothing and textiles institutions and the professional practice in the industry. However, there seems to be a vacuum in the literature regarding the extent to which the curricular of the clothing and textiles institutions are linked to what their allied industry does. The purpose of this article was to examine the relevance of the curriculum of the clothing and textiles institutions to the large-scale clothing and textiles industries, from the perspectives of respondents. The study is expected to promote establishment of collaboration and linkages between Clothing and Textiles institutions and industry. Action research and multiple case study approach were employed for this qualitative research. The researchers used purposive sampling to select respondents. Face-to-face interview, with semi-structured interview guide and observation were used to collect data for the study. The sample size was twenty-two respondents taken from industry and academia. The outcome of the study showed the following: varied perception about relevance of curriculum to the expectations of the industry, non-existence of some relevant skills in the curricula, different industrial attachment practices, non-involvement of the industry in curriculum development and review, inadequate facilities. The following conclusion resulted from the analysis of the study: Curriculum of the institutions is largely perceived to be relevant but requires some updates; inadequate facilities/equipment in the institutions for student training.

Keywords: Curriculum, industry, clothing and textiles, institutions, training.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-3-14

Publication date: January 31^st 2021