Textile Institute of Pakistan - bridging the gap between industry and academia

Textiles being Pakistan's largest industrial sector generate the country's highest export earnings of over 60%, providing the bulk of employment to a largely under utilised work force.
The high levels of unemployment and under-employment are mainly on account of the low skill levels, low literacy and poor managerial efficiencies of the job market. Recognising this gap, TIP was founded in 1994 under the aegis of APTMA, to fill the much growing vacuum. The key objective was to provide professional education and training to a new class of young professionals by honing their practical skills in addition to providing the necessary theoretical knowledge.
TIP has a purpose built campus (200,000 sq.ft. covered area) built along state of the art architectural design by a leading architect on 50 acres of land located on the National Highway about 30 minutes drive from the airport.
The architecture features of interior and exterior design are in consonance with the climatic and topographical need to soften the harshness of Karachi's physical and social environment. While not ostentatious, the premises are largely air-conditioned and fitted with pleasant fixtures, wood work and finishings. The exterior is adorned with beautifully sprawling lawns and an artificial lake complete with related fauna in its natural habitat.
Realising the importance of this segment to Pakistan's export potential the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (formerly Export Promotion Bureau) has played a significant role in the development of TIP in the shape of generous financial assistance through the Export Development Fund (EDF).
The campus houses all requisite facilities as per internationally acceptable standards such as an extensive library with individual and group study facilities together with an audio-visual room and CD room. The computer lab has a dedicated Internet facility and a CAD/CAM lab. The science and textile laboratories including spinning, weaving, knitting, wet processing and testing labs have all been equipped with a wide range of equipment for hands on training in a simulated environment. The entire faculty, management staff and students are transported to and from the campus on TIP vehicles for purposes of safety and punctuality. Hostel facility for outstation and local students is provided with complete catering arrangement, both of which are substantially subsidised.
Since its establishment, TIP has served the needs of industry to a large extent and is gearing up its resources to meet their further requirements. So far, all TIP graduates have been taken up by the local textile and apparel industry barring those who have gone abroad in pursuit of higher education.
The dearth of trained managerial technical manpower is so acute in this sector that TIP has not been able to keep pace with demand for fear of compromising standards as TIP was set up as a trust and is not in the business of making money. In addition to the limitations on turning out appropriately educated and skilled graduates, TIP is also called upon to design and deliver a host of short courses of 2-8 weeks duration on a variety of practical issues / problems faced on the shop floor by supervisory level employees and other skilled workers.
With an independent charter granted by the Government of Sindh, TIP is authorised to award its own degrees recognised of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Initially, TIP's course content and syllabus were developed by faculty at the Clemson University, South Carolina (USA) with which there was a student exchange program for the award of degrees. Credits obtained at TIP are still transferable.
Keeping in consonance with international standards, TIP also established two Higher Education Links with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) and The University of Manchester in UK. These links enabled TIP to adopt and upgrade its educational standards according to the changing demands of a changing global industry and market.
A number of external examiners have also been appointed from UK not only to test and monitor TIP's standards of education but to act as a collaborative guide in the conduct of seminars as well as the on-going faculty exchange programme.
Further, TIP's close ties with the local textile industry through APTMA and other prominent industry and trade associations help in placing students on industrial internships in member units where real training in an actual environment is conducted.
TIP has recently taken a major step towards further development by approving in principle the establishment of Textile Research and Innovation Centre (TRIC). This Research Centre will be vital not only to meet Pakistan's needs in emerging technologies but also provide a new dimension to textile education in Pakistan. This will also help the textile industry of Pakistan to manufacture new value-added products and become competitive in the changing global market.
TRIC will foster genuine leading-edge research linking the industry and other institutions within Pakistan and abroad. Whilst the long term aim is to create a robust multidisciplinary centre encompassing all major areas of textile field, it is important to start with a more focused approach in the areas of immediate concern.
THE RESEARCH CENTRE WILL THEREFORE FOCUS INITIALLY ON THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:
-- Advanced Materials Manufacturing research (such as technical textiles and applications of nanotechnology in textiles etc) and its associated contribution to teaching
-- The facilitation of postgraduate program at TIP and supervision of postgraduate research projects
-- Building research profile of Pakistan in the textile world by publicising research outcomes in the scholarly journals of international repute
-- Establishing collaborations with renowned research providers world-wide
-- Organising a regular research seminar program at TIP
-- Informing and engaging a wide community (industrialists, educationalists, students, media, NGOs and government agencies etc) about the emerging trends in textile field and their potential impacts on local/international market
It must be stated in the end, that Pakistan's effort in the industrial sector in the past 50 years had been at best, haphazard and sporadic. Individual mills may or may not have adopted universal standards and operating practices. Today, with the setting up of a formally structured learning center at TIP, APTMA has demonstrated its ability to piece together an effort in concert preparatory to the impending global challenges that are anticipated by all of Pakistan.