| |19 NOVEMBER 2022HIGHERReviewmentored by some of the best faculty in fashion technology, students at the institute are also provided with excellent infrastructure and a great learning environment which promotes constant learning. The focus SOFT has put into nurturing passionate learners has paid off as the institute boasts an excellence placement record with many of their alumni going on to make a name for themselves in the industry. Continuing Education Programs on the RiseFor those who are not familiar with this concept - Continuing Education Program is an innovative and unique way of educating individuals in order to develop their competency. At the same time, through these programs, a person will be exposed to the new developing areas in their field making it easier for them to be up to date with the latest trends happening in the space. And owing to the rapid penetration of technology, trends are rapidly changing in most industries. The same can be said for fashion technology as well and this makes it harder for people to keep abreast of the latest changes in the industry. National institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is a leading name in the Indian fashion technology education space and they offer a myriad of Continuing Education Programs. These programs prioritize on supporting the fashion design industry as well as the professionals working in the industry. Also, these Continuing Education Programs, at times, help professionals to re-enter the fashion industry. These programs offered by the institute are designed and developed in consultation with both pioneering educators and expert industry practitioners which makes its more effective and industry-centric. Internationalization for Borderless Fashion Technology Education Over the last couple of decades, the world has gone through multiple paradigm shifts which have impacted almost all industry verticals as well. With rapid adoption of technology, the world became more connected and the invisible boundaries which hindered the transfer of culture and knowledge are almost entirely gone now. And as the world became more open and accessible, the demand for professionals who can become global citizens increased. For this to happen in the fashion design industry, international exposure of the students is crucial. To achieve this, some fashion technology institutes in India have started to prioritize on collaborations with foreign fashion technology institutes. Pearl Academy is a prime example of this as over the years, the institute has built strong relationships with plethora of internationally renowned fashion technology institutes. And through this, the institute is able to not only expose their students to international fashion but students of the institute are also able to experience and understand different cultures, and design philosophies and integrate that into their work. Over the last two plus decades, the institute has evolved into an international fashion technology institution that is capable of nurturing fashion designers who have a global mindset. Leveraging their international network, Pearl Academy helps their students to study in their partner universities in the UK and Australia in the final year. Fashion technology education in India is at a crucial crossroads now with many Indian fashion technology institutions gaining international appeal. At the same time, more Indian students are now aspiring to pursue a career in fashion technology. If fashion technology institutes in India can utilize this demand for quality fashion design education and nurture industry-ready professionals, then the growth potential of Indian fashion industry is immense. Owing to this increasing demand, India has also witnessed a sudden mushrooming of fashion technology institutes many of which was established with the sole aim of cashing in on this demand wave
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