Indian open university launches new footwear courses
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched eight new programmes in collaboration with the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), according to local media.
The five undergraduate and three postgraduate programmes include fashion merchandizing and retail management, footwear technology, creative designing, leathergoods and accessories design among others.
“These programmes will open new avenues for students and will help in producing trained manpower for export-oriented industries working in field of footwear, leather and other allied products,” said IGNOU vice chancellor VN Rajasekharan Pillai.
According to officials, the courses will orient footwear industries and their research and development laboratories to initiate new educational programmes and to upgrade the knowledge of practicing workers, semi-skilled and skilled personnel in footwear industries.
“Under this collaboration FDDI will impart full-time training and IGNOU will offer the degrees to the students,” Mr Pillai added.
Citing the relevance and requirement of the collaboration, Rajeev Lakhara, managing director, FDDI, said that with an increase in the branches of FDDI and its students, it had become imperative to provide degrees to the students so that the new programmes are at par with other universities.
“With this new development, students would be able to apply for higher study and also apply for central or state government jobs,” he added.
