CDC's Tech Niche
an excerpt from Apparel News Industry Focus:
How Do You Keep The Apparel
Industry Stocked with Talent?

California Design College (CDC) [http://www.cdc.edu] in Los Angeles opened in 1991 and soon began to focus on one of the industry's hottest hot buttons: technology. In addition to its design and merchandising programs, the school offers a certificate program in computer-aided fashion design in order to address the changes wrought by advances in CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/ computer-aided manufacturing).

CDC is committed to keeping its tech programs up-to-date, a crucial-and often expensive-need in the fast-paced world of computers. Proof came last summer when executive director Sabrina Kay authorized brand-new computers and related equipment to replace existing systems. "We literally threw away everything we had and bought all new software and hardware," Kay says.

The investment in new equipment was deemed critical to keeping in step with the companies that will one day hire graduates.

"We needed to extend ourselves to meet the demands of the market," says Kay. "We're using programs such as ProStyle and Modaris from Lectra Systems [http://www.lectra.com] that our old platform couldn't even digest." Kay says the move "distinguished us from other schools," adding that many bachelor's and master's degree holders from other colleges enroll in courses at CDC to upgrade their computer skills.

The pace at CDC-like most of the programs for the industry-are accelerated, to say the least. Students in fashion design, fashion merchandising and apparel manufacturing programs are producing actual garments after only 10 months of instruction.

Demands on the educational staff are equally rigorous. Instructors must have a degree in fashion and at least five years of professional experience before they can teach at CDC.

"Their background in industry is imperative to the success of our students, both in terms of knowledge and connections," Kay says.

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