Colleges to get more studious about fashion

SYDNEY:Australia's leading education providers have broadened their academic programs to better combat the nation's crippling skills shortage. 

Sydney's Raffles College of Design and Commerce - formerly known as the KVB Institute of Technology – and the Whitehouse Institute of Design have both introduced new accredited courses for prospective textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) students.

Raffles domestic marketing manager Coral Cooksley said it would be the first private college in Australia to be accredited to offer a Master of Design program. She said the professionally orientated degree, which will see its first intake of students on October 15, had been developed in response to strong demand from graduates, practitioners and industry.

"A demand was identified from designers who have been working in the industry for a long time and who have no formal qualifications," she said. "[It is for those who] wish to obtain a qualification that recognises their experience and expertise and also provides them with an opportunity for high level professional development."

The degree, which commenced development in 2005 and was finally approved earlier this year, would be offered on either a full-time (18 months) or part-time (three years) basis with specialisations in digital media, fashion design, interior design and graphic design. Cooksley said it was targeted at designers who already had an undergraduate degree or the equivalent educational and professional experience.

The Whitehouse Institute of Design, responsible for training leading designers such as Camilla Topper-Freeman (of camilla and marc) and Yeojin Bae, has also confirmed the introduction of a three-year  accredited degree in design for 2008. Managing director Leanne Whitehouse said the Bachelor of Design was significantly different from previously offered courses with a more scholarly approach to research, experimentation and conceptual development. She said entry into the course would be based on the applicant's UAI score, portfolio and interview.

"[It] is a changing industry where integration of knowledge and practice is imperative to compete nationally and internationally," she said. "[It is] essential to have degree qualifications for our Australian graduates to engage and compete in national and international industry forums."

Whitehouse said the holistic course would enable graduates to pursue a career in fashion design, technical pattern design and making, illustration, trend forecasting, styling, fashion merchandising and buying, fashion journalism and design practitioners in related industries.

By Assia Benmedjdoub