If you thought that only those in the IT industry quit their high profile jobs to start a new venture, think again. This trend seems to be catching up in the knitwear hub of Tirupur as well. And here, it is not related to technology, rather in skilled jobs such as tailoring, where there is huge paucity of skill.
Industry sources say that the demand for skilled labour — be it tailoring, printing, embroidery, garmenting, ornamentation, etc, — has always been huge. “This knitwear cluster is a self-made one. The dedicated labourers of yesterday are today’s principals. The cluster is evolving and still in the process of evolution. But at this juncture we need to introspect to regain the lost glory of this cluster,” Tirupur Exporters’ Association President Raja M Shanmugham told BusinessLine . Excerpts:
Most units are either small- or mid-size ones here, and the promoters of a majority of companies have in some way or other worked their way to the top, built an empire through hard work. This is the crux of Tirupur cluster. It is self-made.
The trend that is catching up today is no different from the past.
For instance, tailoring needs some level of skill unlike ironing, packing, or checking.
Some of these experienced tailors are now tending to go on their own. It does not require capital expenditure and these skilled tailors are able to engage people in their region. Since they speak the language, dialect familiar in that pocket, they do not foresee much risk in starting the venture. This is yet another avenue of becoming an entrepreneur.
But how are they able to generate leads?
Large factories have a perennial flow of orders and a dedicated department but emerging players have intermittent orders. Such units seek the support of skilled people for sourcing specific jobs.
Wouldn’t it be a costly proposition considering that these small units operate on thin margins?
Cost escalation will be there, but they need to opt for the best. I think, it is time for us to relook our strengths. Most of us are self-groomed in all industrial arenas; we compete with giants in the international market and are beaten up.
In 2005, we occupied the second position in knitwear product supply; this has slipped to the sixth position now. Competing countries such as Bangladesh and Taiwan have forged ahead. To regain our position, we have sought a one-time government intervention for upskilling, as this would help enhance our product quality.
How do you think the government can help?
The government has mooted a number of schemes for imparting and upgrading skills (Skill India initiative). We should look to address the lacuna in the existing system.
For instance, even in tailoring, the shop-floor wastage ranges between 4 and 7 per cent against the permissible 2 per cent. By plugging this, we can save wastage/time loss, enhance productivity and overcome small mistakes. We want the government to upskill the skills inventory.
What specific areas are you looking for upskilling?
All areas... Knitting, processing, printing, embroidery, garmenting, ornamentation all of these can be upskilled and enriched. We need to offer a greater variety to the market — from stone wash to acid wash to thermal treatment wash.
Have you made an assessment of the requirement?
We have created an NIFT-TEA committee for assessing this. A combined team has assessed the skill lacuna in the industry.