Presented by
S.
Sadulla, Santosh Philip Ahraham and T.Ramasami of Central Leather
Research Institute, at the 25th IULTS congress held in January 1999
in Chennai
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Design
of the Courses
The dictionary defines curriculum as 'a series of studies required'
and the origin of the word is from Latin meaning 'a course tip be pursued'.
In its broadest sense, the term signifies what the content of the process
assisting students towards desired learning should be and what forms
or form it should take. Curriculum design, development, implementation
and evaluation are all important aspects of any process involving education
and training. At CLRI these aspects are given a lot of thought and planning.
Considering how industry intensive the course is, adequate thought is
given to the design of the course, keeping in mind the relevant needs
of the industry. In principle, the nature of the academy linked courses
and the industry linked courses are different and these differences
are also reflected in the design of the courses
A.
Programmes with academic linkages.
The under-graduate programme has been structured to present a broad
and balanced perspective to the students. Emphasis has been laid to
ensure that the students of the programme are adequately exposed to
not only the professional Subjects but also to general subjects and
subjects of basic and engineering sciences. The distribution of subjects
in the curriculum and the emphasis on strengthening the theoretical
base of the students are represented by Fig
2.1 and Fig.
2.2. The curriculum of these courses are planned and designed not
only by the academy, but also with adequate consultation and representation
of the views and Suggestions from the Industry. This aspect thus effectively
symbolises the advantage of close Academy-Institute-Industry interaction.
Constant revision Of the curriculum is vital if the recent advances
in the area of interest are to be kept abreast. There are mechanisms
in the Academy Set up to take into account such needs. Once in every
five years or as and when need arises, a committee revises the syllabus
and this committee has representations "Of Only from the academy but
also from the industry. In addition, the system has the facility to
revise a syllabus as and when a need arises. This helps to incorporate
the latest trends and to include subjects on emerging technologies.
Built in mechanisms keep check on the implementation and evaluation
procedures. A national body, the All India Council of Technical Education
(AICTE) periodically evaluates the complete system and rates the courses
based on various parameters set. This helps in not only improving standards
but acts also gives an indication of the quality of the education provided.
CLRI is participating in this accreditation process and at the time
of writing this paper, is awaiting the arrival of the evaluation team.
The Master's Programmes in Leather Technology and Footwear Science and
Engineering, have been structured to reinforce the strengths developed
by the students in their undergraduate programme. The wide ranging subjects
offered to the students help them develop a foundation on which a strong
structure can be built, be it an academic need or a need to face the
diverse situations faced in the Industry. The subjects are dealt with
an emphasis on greater detail. Subjects relating to fundamental science
are also offered to the students, in order that they understand and
appreciate the impact of basic science on technology and vice versa.
A full semester is allotted for the project work with a view to nurture
the innovative ideas in the students. This develops
in students the ability of problem solving and innovative thinking,
so important for meeting the goals of the programme. The distribution
of subjects in the curriculum of the post graduate programmes are indicated
in Fig
3.1 and Fig
3.2. Other aspects of the development, implementation and evaluation
of the curriculum discussed with respect to the under-graduate programmes
are relevant in this context also.
Research
activities in CLRI are unique in that work is carried out not only in
the field of leather technology and footwear science and engineering,
but also in wide ranging areas of applied and fundamental science and
technology. These areas include bacteriology, biochemistry,
bio inorganic chemistry, biotechnology, biophysics, various branches
of chemistry, chemical engineering, chemical physics, economics, environmental
engineering, leather garments and leather goods and many other disciplines.
This diversity in research strengths provides a wealth of talent for
the conduct of the various training programmes at CLRI.
B.
Training programmes with industry linkages:
These training programmes have been designed by keeping the vocational
training requirements in mind. All these courses are tailor made to
meet specific requirements and are practical intensive courses. These
courses can be classified based on the duration of the courses. As seen
in Table
3a the courses that are of shorter duration are
either introductory in nature or have very specific perspectives. The
courses of longer duration as seen in Table
3b vary from 6 months to about a year. These long term courses while
demanding greater inputs in terms of practical exposure, also provide
adequate theoretical inputs, which play an important role in independent
problem solving capabilities of the individual especially while at work.
The emphasis on the practical inputs provided in one such course, a
post-graduate diploma in leather processing is highlighted in Fig.
4.
When
compared with the academic courses (Figs
2.2, 3.2)
the onus has clearly shifted to strengthening the practical skills of
the trainee. A cursory glance of Table
3a and 3b
would reveal that these courses cater to a very wide target group. Many
of the long term courses are modular in nature with multi level entry
and exit points. These courses are designed on the French model AFPIC
(the French acronym for Association for Vocational Training in Leather
Industries) and AFPA (the French acronym for the Association for Adult
Vocational Training. The manufacture of leather garment for example
would involve skills in cutting and clicking, assembling and stitching
and of course pattern making. Training in each of these skills are imparted
in the form of a specific modular training programmes that deal in detail
independently with aspects of cutting and clicking or assembling and
stitching or with pattern making. A trainee may choose a module of his
choice and when a module is mastered, the student may either leave with
a certificate or he may move up to the next module. In the event that
the student desires to acquire training in all the aspects of leather
garment manufacture, he has the choice of going through all the modules
or taking a diploma programme as a full capsule. This system provides
the flexibility required to meet a specific need of an individual.
A
dynamic archetype of HRD in the leather scenario
The case study presented above reflects an archetype that has reflected
the intricacies involved in the area of HRD with reference to the leather
scenario. The success of the model is illustrated by Table
4 which lists the details of the manpower trained at CLRI in the
past 5 years. About 85% of the top management positions in the Industry
in the country are manned by personnel trained at CLRI. This model by
closely interacting with the academy has established a symbiotic relationship
wherein the expertise of the Institute is made available to the academy.
In this arrangement, the technological information is very efficiently
delivered as it evolves. Motivational factors for the scientists of
the Institute, delivering the training is productive in the challenge
of their research profession. So also, the industry benefits not only
from the large trained manpower but also from the Research and Development
activities of the Institute. Thus this trinity comprising of the Academy,
Institute and Industry is a vital component of the dynamics involved
in this model.
Conclusion
The above paper discusses a specific model involved in Human Resource
Development in the Leather scenario. The various aspects contributing
to the success of the model have been highlighted. The synergetic interaction
between the academy, industry and the institute has been described and
its importance on the success of the model has been emphasised.
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