Zoya unveils their latest collection Espana with Nisha JamVwal

The collection was unveiled by the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Gustavo de Aristegui, followed by a grand evening hosted by Luxury consultant, Ms. Nisha JamVwal

Post By : IJ News Service On 22 March 2014 1:53 PM
In the last two decades, the Indian gems and jewellery industry has grown and changed rapidly. Apart from attracting the ever-conscious customer, the industry is also addressing the rapidly growing global market. This calls for people working in this sector to upgrade and broaden their knowledge. From grading to design, and sales to management, the need to upgrade to a wide variety of important skills is urgent. This also warrants for more training centres and workshops in the country.%% But, is just setting up of more centres in various regions enough or are there other concerns regarding the education system for the gems and jewellery courses that needs to be focused upon? Some of the leading educationists speak out to the |*{{Diamond World}}*|%%. {{Types of Students :}}$$ For any training institute and centre, the students’ strength is one of the determining factors of its success. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the type of students joining these centres. There are three specific types of students according to {{Roland Lorié, CEO, International Gemological Institute (IGI)}}. |*“The first one is the person who wants to become a diamond or jewellery manufacturer. He or she has to follow the in-depth course in order to know everything about manufacturing, buying rough and polishing it, and the same for jewellery manufacturing. The student needs enough knowledge in order to manufacture using the latest technologies. The second group are the jewellers. They need less in depth knowledge because they work with a finished product – polished diamonds. However, of course they need to know exactly what they are buying and selling. The third group is the consumer. Today consumers are not spending money for something they do not understand. Seminars are organised for them so that they would feel confident when going to a jewellery shop,” he emphasizes. *| {{TRAINING CENTRES IN INDIA :}}$$ According to {{Rajesh Takru, Director-General, National Institute of Fashion Technology,}} “Training centres are required to assist gems and jewellery units for upgradation of products, quality and to promote export of gems and jewellery products in India and abroad by providing trained and skilled human resources in this rapidly expanding sector.” %% The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has opened various training centres across the country which comprise :%% {[The Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) - Surat, ]} {[Gemmological Institute of India (GII)-Mumbai,]} {[Gem Testing Laboratory (GTL) – Jaipur,]} {[Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) – Mumbai, and}] {[IIGJ (formerly known as the Jewellery Product Development Centre) – New Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata. }] Some of the other popular gems and jewellery training institutes in India include :$$ [[Indian Institute of Jewellery - Mumbai, ]} {[ATR Institute of Jewellery Design – across India, ]} {[Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture (part of SNDT University), ]} {[Arch Academy of Design - Jaipur, ]} {[Gemological Institute of America(GIA), ]} {[International Gemological Institute(IGI), ]} {[National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – Gandhinagar, ]} {[Jewellery Design & Technology Institute - Noida and Chandigarh.]} Recently at the {{Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s}} (FICCI) first international conference on gems and jewellery, {{Sushil Jiwarajka,}} Chairman FICCI-WRC suggested the setting up of more training centres across India in order to upgrade knowledge on all aspects of jewellery manufacturing and designing.
{{The Requirement :}}$$ So how would one define the requirement for training centres? {{Rameshwar Prakash, CEO of Indian Institute of Gems and Jewllery, Jaipur }}avers, “There are two parts – one is the recruitment part and another is the location part. This particular industry certainly needs a large requirement of trained work force whether it is for designing or manufacturing. We have a habit of talking in terms of various gems and jewellery hubs. For the growth of the industry, naturally these hubs have a strong role to play wherein we have to get this requirement fulfilled. There are some catchment areas attached to these in terms of geography. They have to be serviced by institutes wherever they are located.”%% While citing that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular location, {{Nitin Bardia, Director, ATR Institute of Jewellery Design }}feels the need for the institutes is where the manufacturing of gems and jewellery takes place such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Pune and Bangalore. He adds, “The need for the institutes is also pulled by the students who are the end customers for the institute. So the need for the institutes I feel are in those parts of the country which have a good strength of students.”%% {{K.K. Sharma, Executive Director of the Indian Diamond Institute,}} Surat says, “More training centres are now required in the country. Metro and major cities of India do have national and international gemmological institutes, but B class cities and small towns are far behind. Nowadays demand of gemstones, diamonds and jewellery is increasing rapidly, particularly even in small cities and villages. In the eastern part of the country, only Kolkata has some institutes. However, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, although very rich in minerals and gemstones deposits yet do not have proper gemmological institutes for studies. Other states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, and Uttar Pradesh are also potential states where jewellery demand is big, but there is no training centre. At least, each state should now have one training centre for learning jewellery and subject gemmology.” %% Citing the inconvenience for students to travel a larger distance to do the long term or short term courses, {{Col. S.K. Arora (Retd.), Head of Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, Mumbai}} says, “We get students from all over India. If training facilities were available at regional or state level, why would the students have to travel to Mumbai for the training? In Mumbai, we do not have hostel facility. Students have to search for paying-guest facility or stay outside. If there are institutes available at least one per state, the growth of the Industry would start from the regional level too. Besides accommodation at those regional levels would be cheaper than in metros.”
{{Feasibility Factor :}}$$ However, if one considers the length and breadth of the country, how feasible would setting up a centre in every state be? {{Manoj Singhania, Director of Education for Gemmological Institute of America (GIA)- Indian and Middle East region}} says, “Setting up training centres across the country is a challenge, given the size and spread of India. Mumbai and Surat are diamond hubs, and Jaipur is a colored gemstone nucleus. These cities attract tradesmen from across whole India and the world. Full training centres in important cities and industry hubs, such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata will develop the professional level of the gems and jewellery industry in India by training the individuals who work in it. Other places can be supported through workshops as required and desired.” %% {{Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director, IGI-India,}} suggests, “Each prominent city or town has the local jewellery associations. These bodies should help provide the required infrastructure or spaces, which can be rented out to suit the purpose of dispensing our courses. Initiative needs to be taken by World-renowned Institutes to have centres or arrange regular programs in these small towns and cities. A permanent training centre with qualified instructors in every town is not feasible at this stage.”%% {{The Infrastructure :}}$$ The first important factor in any technical institute is the infrastructure that is made available. It is the basic physical and organisational structures as well as the services and facilities needed for the operation of an enterprise. In an industry where innovation dominates and new designs, styles, machinery develop frequently, providing the right and latest infrastructure to the training centres becomes imperative. Manoj Singhania observes, “Like most businesses today, the Indian gems and jewellery industry is also working in a global environment, and technology continues to advance rapidly. In today’s dynamic scenario – where new technology changes the way factories work overnight – manufacturing-related courses need to be updated at regular intervals to keep the students updated and well informed. Similarly, students in gemmology and jewellery designing courses need to know what the latest industry trends are and be exposed to processes and business practices used around the world.”%% {{Sub-standard Initiatives :}}$$ Yet much is left to be desired. One major concern is the flourishing of many small institutes in various cities across the country. These institutes are devoid of proper facilities and expertise. KK Sharma says, “Very few institutes have proper infrastructures for training. Many unorganised and Spartan types of institutes are mushrooming without proper infrastructure, facilities and technology back-up.” He further points out, “Upgradation of technology is a prerequisite to keep pace with the international standards. Day-by-day industry is encountering new enhancement techniques, synthetic gemstones, etc. To overcome these problems, an institute has to upgrade itself with the latest technology.” %% {{More Funds Needed :}}$$ Emphasizing the inadequate supply of funds for the educational institutes to upgrade the technological knowhow, {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University,}} says, “There are hardly any institutions with the complete infrastructure. Yes, the need of the hour is the technological advancement, which can only happen if sufficient funds are made available. Funds are a major problem with most of the institutes and we cannot burden the student or parent with it. There has to be a collective effort by the government and the industry to support the institutes.”
Besides, is the same infrastructure applicable at all the places? {{Nitin Bardiya,}} whose Institute has 35 centres across the country, says, “The infrastructure is different in all centres. We try to keep it uniform. However, some of the centres are in two or three tier cities. They cannot invest too heavily on the manufacturing and gem testing laboratories. Therefore, they have to depend on the main centres of the state. For instance, Jaipur for Rajasthan, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur for Maharashtra, so on and so forth. So all the students from the smaller cities are pooled into the state-respective main centres from time to time. This is economical for the institute and a learning experience for the students as they come together and get to learn from each other.”%% {{Accommodation for Outstation Students :}}$$ Currently with the training institutes concentrated at a few cities in the country, it is but natural that outstation students, aspiring for a career in the gems and jewellery industry or wanting to upgrade their skills, have to be provided accommodation until the time they complete their course. {{Surprisingly most of these institutes do not have hostel facilities.}} However, the institute’s management guides the students in getting paying guest accommodation. Rameshwar Prakash says, “At this point of time, my institute does not have a hostel. However, we organise paying guest accommodations. Plans for hostel is a possibility in the next phase.”%% {{The Course Curriculum }}$$ All the institutes offer basic and advanced courses in various aspects of gemmology as well as jewellery designing and manufacturing. While all the institutes have long duration courses for two or three years, most of the courses are short term and sometimes customised according to the needs of the students. However, at certain institutes degree courses including BSc and MBA are offered to the students. %% {{Systematic Content :}}$$ |*“More important than the curriculum is the question of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given” – Bertrand Russell (English logician and philosopher, 1872 -1970)*|$$ According to Devinder Layal, the syllabus needs to have more relevance to the local industry. “The academics and industry have to go hand in hand. However, the syllabus needs to be designed keeping in mind the need of OUR industry and not what the institutes are doing abroad. A lot of those things may not be applicable to our jewellery industry,” he says. %% But how does the current syllabus fulfil the requirements of the industry? Rameshwar Prakash says, “The syllabus part is very straight and need based. Need for me is on two counts – how the industry needs it and how an entrepreneur needs it. That is a very straight understanding as far as academic system is concerned. One it should be need-based for the industry, People should be accepted well. The outgoing students should be able to contribute to the industry. In case of students venturing out on their own, as far as technology and design part is concerned they should be strong enough to self start. As far as education training is concerned, we want to equip the students well.”%% So how does the institute develop the suitable syllabus? Tehmasp Printer says, “We notice institutes competing with each other in terms of duration and fees of the course and in the bargain forget what the student wants or needs. A feedback needs to be taken from the student’s parents, students as well as employees in the industry as to what they expect from the candidate and what knowledge or expertise should be imparted accordingly the courses should be designed. We take regular feedback from participants and adapt our courses accordingly. As the duration of the courses is short it is very important to cover all the relevant aspects. The course content should be more practically focussed backed up with various tests and projects to give the students challenging and practical situations to learn from.”%% But what about the traditional artisans? Do they need these courses? {{Archana Surana, Founder Director, Arch Academy of Design, Jaipur}} says, “I think there is an amazing craft that has been passed on from generations. Probably there is not much scope for the craftsman who has been dealing with age-old crafts. Rather than people actually moving out to different vocations and occupations, they can be trained and upgraded on their skills to join the different levels in the industry.”
{{The Good, Bad and Ugly Short Term Courses :}}$$ Since most of the courses are of short duration, are they lacking in terms of content? {{Abha Gupta, Academic Head, Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Jaipur, says,}} “One cannot say the courses are lacking in content. However, there would be difference of coverage of the content in a one-year course and a three-year course.” But she feels that the focus on Research and Development is missing due to the lack of time given to the students by the faculty. “We need to put more effort on R&D”, she says. %% It has been observed that many people – housewives, college students – who are aspiring for a career in the jewellery industry are opting for short time introductory and basic courses in jewellery designing. Most of the times the designs are not suitable for manufacturing thereby rendering the designs and the efforts taken for them useless. {{BK Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, Jewellery Design & Technology Institute says,}} “The sad part is that most of the students want to do three months or six months courses. They just want to learn the drawing part of jewellery designing. So sometimes they can conceptualise the design but when it comes to making then they are unable to get the wider picture about what is good for manufacturing. Along with design, students should learn manufacturing and quality control. They should learn how to file the metal, mix the metals, the composition of alloys. These all one has to learn from the scratch.” %% He goes on to explain the relevance of the courses with respect to the industry needs and the students prior experience in the field. “People who come to learn need to understand that the short term courses are for those who are already in the industry and want to enhance their knowledge. If one wants to make a career in jewellery designing or industry, they should at least have a six months experience in the jewellery workshop. They should know all the manufacturing techniques so that they should be able to get their work done. The idea is not to make jewellery ourselves but to know how to get the work done from the ‘karigars’. %% {{Upgradation :}}$$ The constant evolvement in the gems and jewellery industry necessitates a simultaneous upgradation in the technology and course content provided to the students at these institutes. {{Manoj Singhania}} explains, “Course content will always have to be upgraded as the industry changes. Modules and subject titles may remain the same, but adaptation and the specifics of the course will constantly evolve.” In addition, there is also a need for inclusion of new courses in relevance to the functioning of the industry. Citing retail jewellery selling as a part of the curriculum in the courses as compared to ten years ago, he says, “Retail is a part of the industry now, and we train our students accordingly. Such education is an ongoing, dynamic and exciting process. Though upgrading is required to keep the courses relevant, the industry will need new courses that keep in mind the potential changing trends of the industry and the way it will develop in the next decade and beyond.”
{{CAD is the Future :}}$$ With the rapid development in science and technology, the usage of computer aided designs and computer aided machines is dominant. While CAD/CAM are imbibed in the long term courses, special short term courses are also conducted for people working in the industry. Calling CAD the future, {{Nitin Bardiya}} says, “The time is coming now with computer-aided designing. Those who have already upgraded, it is very good for them. But those who have not need to get their infrastructure upgraded because CAD is the future. So I think everyone ought to improve their infrastructure to cater to that market. There should also be the approach of e-learning. There should be more of training on computer where they can see designs on computer and how the finished product will look like.”%% {{Workshops in India :}}$$ As the industry is continuously evolving in terms of the technology used and designs created there is a need for the industry itself to upgrade its expertise through various workshops. K.K. Sharma says, “For jewellers the workshops are very much useful as they already possess basic knowledge.”%% Emphasizing on the importance of upgradation as a vital aspect to the growth in the industry, Archana Surana says, “The kind of precision tools that are used in Taiwan and Bangkok etc. are amazing. We have not been able to touch those kind of tools here. It is still the old machinery that we are using and I think that the jewellery industry has been able to see a set back. This is because we have not been wise enough to upgrade our skills and our people along with the skills. This has created a huge gap in demand such that what was our niche in the past has shifted to Bangkok. So there has to be a lot of awareness among the jewellers in terms of upgrading.”%% {{Poor Response :}}$$ But how has the industry responded to the workshops conducted by these institutes from time to time? Col. S.K. Arora (retd.) says, “When we have workshops, the response is very poor from the industry side. They don’t want to leave their business and come to the institute for the workshops. It is only when they are involved or they are facing a problem, they come back or approach the institute for assistance as we render free assistance and placement for them. The workshops and seminars conducted for them at IIJS are successful. But when we call them, they don’t come. However, these companies have their own training imparted in their organizational structure.” %% BK Narula adds, “The sad part is most of the industry workers do not respond in a positive manner. Recently we had a workshop on African craft. While there was a good response from our own students there was no response from the industry. We had invited a person from Africa to conduct the workshop.”%% {{Affiliation Impetus & Recognition :}}$$ The Indian gems and jewellery industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country. In the recent years, the domestic industry has also witnessed a boom. Most of the institutes have tie-ups with bodies like the GJEPC or the World Gold Council. Ironically, none of the courses imparted by most of the institutes are recognized at university level. Experts believe that if there is recognition at the university level it would give an impetus to the industry as a whole. %% Col. S.K. Arora says, “There is no kind of practical training available matching the university standard. The area which is lacking is the training given to students. They do not get recognition in the form of degree. The three year course of jewellery designing and manufacturing technology of our institute is recognised by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. However when our students seek to pursue higher education whether in India or abroad, it is imperative that this education gets recognition at the university level and they are awarded a proper degree. There is an important need to develop such infrastructure in our country so that we can grow.
{{Specific Engineering Qualification Needed :}}$$ He also suggests that there should be an engineering degree specifically for the gems and jewellery industry as currently the industry is running by borrowing engineers from other fields. As the training centres are already equipped with infrastructure, he feels it fit if the university adopts or recognises the institutes instead of trying to set up their own departments. The university can have control, through an expert committee comprising people from the industry and faculty members to evaluate the syllabus. %% {{Awareness of Career Among Masses :}}$$ With India Inc. going global and the customer becoming more fashion conscious, there is a good demand for jewellery designers in the country. According to Archana Surana, “The jewellery industry is definitely dependent on the designers. Once upon a time, importers called for their designs from the Western countries. Nevertheless, as hiring designers from the western countries has become expensive, these importers are relying on Indian companies to have inputs for design. There is a huge potential for designers.” She adds, “Jewellery is no longer a possession or treasure you have. It is as if you need to gear yourself with your existing garment. It is accessorizing and it is a style statement you have to have.” %% {{Good Pay Masters Needed :}}$$ Thanks to the Indian cinema and television, many aspire to become jewellery designers in the two and three tier cities. Today, jewellery designing remains one of the most popular courses in India. However, are the local jewellers optimising on this breed of skilled designers in their area? {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University}}, says, “There is design awareness in every city for jewellery along with fashion. However, sadly the jeweller is not able to realise the importance of qualified professional and still believe in keeping unskilled/untrained workers at less wages. If the industry has to grow it has to pay a good remuneration to the skilled staff.” %% But who are the people who throng the institutes? How much of media promotion has been done? Nitin Bardia says, “The awareness is not sufficient. It needs to improve. The jewellery institutes are using the medium for B2B marketing which is good in terms of placements. But they also have to advertise in the local media which reaches the masses. This should be done in order to take government help to promote themselves. Until now the jewellery industry was tightly held. So far it has been the people in the business or from the business go and learn all the courses. Hardly five percent of people from outside the industry come. I think the awareness needs to be increased. The prospects need to be told. People think that one becomes only a designer after learning designing. But they need to be made aware that there are other positions also for getting placed.”
{{Need Increasing :}}$$ He also adds that the need for jewellery professionals is increasing day by day as there is a shortage of two lakh professionally trained staff in terms of jewellery designers, and retail sales executives. As the students are trained in a specialised course, the options to join either a corporate or a jewellery specific industry is wide open to them. %% {{Government’s Role :}}$$ Most of the experts believe that the education ministry can play a vital role in terms of the infrastructure as well as remuneration provided to the faculty members in the institutes. The government can provide areas at suitable locations to set up the institutes. %% {{2009 Aftermath :}}$$ While the industry is recovering from last year’s recession, the question arises: is there a need to start new courses? Roland Lorie says, “When times are difficult, we usually see a major increase in number of students. We think the reasons are that professionals realise that in order to be able to convince reluctant consumers to buy, they need a maximum of knowledge in order to feel 100 percent confident themselves and during recession they have more time. We also see many people that want to change these professional direction and are interested in this field. Recession gives you the time to slow down, think, educate and accordingly move on with your career or work.”%% {{EPILOGUE}}%% {{Young India Needs Quality Education :}}$$ While the industry feels the need to open more training centres in the country, other issues in terms of infrastructure, affiliation and awareness of the gems & jewellery industry as a career option have been overlooked. It is time that the gems and jewellery trade, institutions and the government work hand in hand to meet the challenges of a continuously evolving industry. As Manoj Singhania says, “India is a young nation where more than 30 per cent of the people are of 10 to 24 years of age and are actively looking for quality education in various sectors. India’s emphasis on quality education has made it an intellectually powerful country and the gems and jewellery industry needs to ensure its ranks remain filled with trained, enthusiastic and impactful professionals.”
In the last two decades, the Indian gems and jewellery industry has grown and changed rapidly. Apart from attracting the ever-conscious customer, the industry is also addressing the rapidly growing global market. This calls for people working in this sector to upgrade and broaden their knowledge. From grading to design, and sales to management, the need to upgrade to a wide variety of important skills is urgent. This also warrants for more training centres and workshops in the country.%% But, is just setting up of more centres in various regions enough or are there other concerns regarding the education system for the gems and jewellery courses that needs to be focused upon? Some of the leading educationists speak out to the |*{{Diamond World}}*|%%. {{Types of Students :}}$$ For any training institute and centre, the students’ strength is one of the determining factors of its success. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the type of students joining these centres. There are three specific types of students according to {{Roland Lorié, CEO, International Gemological Institute (IGI)}}. |*“The first one is the person who wants to become a diamond or jewellery manufacturer. He or she has to follow the in-depth course in order to know everything about manufacturing, buying rough and polishing it, and the same for jewellery manufacturing. The student needs enough knowledge in order to manufacture using the latest technologies. The second group are the jewellers. They need less in depth knowledge because they work with a finished product – polished diamonds. However, of course they need to know exactly what they are buying and selling. The third group is the consumer. Today consumers are not spending money for something they do not understand. Seminars are organised for them so that they would feel confident when going to a jewellery shop,” he emphasizes. *| {{TRAINING CENTRES IN INDIA :}}$$ According to {{Rajesh Takru, Director-General, National Institute of Fashion Technology,}} “Training centres are required to assist gems and jewellery units for upgradation of products, quality and to promote export of gems and jewellery products in India and abroad by providing trained and skilled human resources in this rapidly expanding sector.” %% The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has opened various training centres across the country which comprise :%% {[The Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) - Surat, ]} {[Gemmological Institute of India (GII)-Mumbai,]} {[Gem Testing Laboratory (GTL) – Jaipur,]} {[Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) – Mumbai, and}] {[IIGJ (formerly known as the Jewellery Product Development Centre) – New Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata. }] Some of the other popular gems and jewellery training institutes in India include :$$ [[Indian Institute of Jewellery - Mumbai, ]} {[ATR Institute of Jewellery Design – across India, ]} {[Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture (part of SNDT University), ]} {[Arch Academy of Design - Jaipur, ]} {[Gemological Institute of America(GIA), ]} {[International Gemological Institute(IGI), ]} {[National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – Gandhinagar, ]} {[Jewellery Design & Technology Institute - Noida and Chandigarh.]} Recently at the {{Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s}} (FICCI) first international conference on gems and jewellery, {{Sushil Jiwarajka,}} Chairman FICCI-WRC suggested the setting up of more training centres across India in order to upgrade knowledge on all aspects of jewellery manufacturing and designing.
{{The Requirement :}}$$ So how would one define the requirement for training centres? {{Rameshwar Prakash, CEO of Indian Institute of Gems and Jewllery, Jaipur }}avers, “There are two parts – one is the recruitment part and another is the location part. This particular industry certainly needs a large requirement of trained work force whether it is for designing or manufacturing. We have a habit of talking in terms of various gems and jewellery hubs. For the growth of the industry, naturally these hubs have a strong role to play wherein we have to get this requirement fulfilled. There are some catchment areas attached to these in terms of geography. They have to be serviced by institutes wherever they are located.”%% While citing that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular location, {{Nitin Bardia, Director, ATR Institute of Jewellery Design }}feels the need for the institutes is where the manufacturing of gems and jewellery takes place such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Pune and Bangalore. He adds, “The need for the institutes is also pulled by the students who are the end customers for the institute. So the need for the institutes I feel are in those parts of the country which have a good strength of students.”%% {{K.K. Sharma, Executive Director of the Indian Diamond Institute,}} Surat says, “More training centres are now required in the country. Metro and major cities of India do have national and international gemmological institutes, but B class cities and small towns are far behind. Nowadays demand of gemstones, diamonds and jewellery is increasing rapidly, particularly even in small cities and villages. In the eastern part of the country, only Kolkata has some institutes. However, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, although very rich in minerals and gemstones deposits yet do not have proper gemmological institutes for studies. Other states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, and Uttar Pradesh are also potential states where jewellery demand is big, but there is no training centre. At least, each state should now have one training centre for learning jewellery and subject gemmology.” %% Citing the inconvenience for students to travel a larger distance to do the long term or short term courses, {{Col. S.K. Arora (Retd.), Head of Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, Mumbai}} says, “We get students from all over India. If training facilities were available at regional or state level, why would the students have to travel to Mumbai for the training? In Mumbai, we do not have hostel facility. Students have to search for paying-guest facility or stay outside. If there are institutes available at least one per state, the growth of the Industry would start from the regional level too. Besides accommodation at those regional levels would be cheaper than in metros.”
{{Feasibility Factor :}}$$ However, if one considers the length and breadth of the country, how feasible would setting up a centre in every state be? {{Manoj Singhania, Director of Education for Gemmological Institute of America (GIA)- Indian and Middle East region}} says, “Setting up training centres across the country is a challenge, given the size and spread of India. Mumbai and Surat are diamond hubs, and Jaipur is a colored gemstone nucleus. These cities attract tradesmen from across whole India and the world. Full training centres in important cities and industry hubs, such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata will develop the professional level of the gems and jewellery industry in India by training the individuals who work in it. Other places can be supported through workshops as required and desired.” %% {{Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director, IGI-India,}} suggests, “Each prominent city or town has the local jewellery associations. These bodies should help provide the required infrastructure or spaces, which can be rented out to suit the purpose of dispensing our courses. Initiative needs to be taken by World-renowned Institutes to have centres or arrange regular programs in these small towns and cities. A permanent training centre with qualified instructors in every town is not feasible at this stage.”%% {{The Infrastructure :}}$$ The first important factor in any technical institute is the infrastructure that is made available. It is the basic physical and organisational structures as well as the services and facilities needed for the operation of an enterprise. In an industry where innovation dominates and new designs, styles, machinery develop frequently, providing the right and latest infrastructure to the training centres becomes imperative. Manoj Singhania observes, “Like most businesses today, the Indian gems and jewellery industry is also working in a global environment, and technology continues to advance rapidly. In today’s dynamic scenario – where new technology changes the way factories work overnight – manufacturing-related courses need to be updated at regular intervals to keep the students updated and well informed. Similarly, students in gemmology and jewellery designing courses need to know what the latest industry trends are and be exposed to processes and business practices used around the world.”%% {{Sub-standard Initiatives :}}$$ Yet much is left to be desired. One major concern is the flourishing of many small institutes in various cities across the country. These institutes are devoid of proper facilities and expertise. KK Sharma says, “Very few institutes have proper infrastructures for training. Many unorganised and Spartan types of institutes are mushrooming without proper infrastructure, facilities and technology back-up.” He further points out, “Upgradation of technology is a prerequisite to keep pace with the international standards. Day-by-day industry is encountering new enhancement techniques, synthetic gemstones, etc. To overcome these problems, an institute has to upgrade itself with the latest technology.” %% {{More Funds Needed :}}$$ Emphasizing the inadequate supply of funds for the educational institutes to upgrade the technological knowhow, {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University,}} says, “There are hardly any institutions with the complete infrastructure. Yes, the need of the hour is the technological advancement, which can only happen if sufficient funds are made available. Funds are a major problem with most of the institutes and we cannot burden the student or parent with it. There has to be a collective effort by the government and the industry to support the institutes.”
Besides, is the same infrastructure applicable at all the places? {{Nitin Bardiya,}} whose Institute has 35 centres across the country, says, “The infrastructure is different in all centres. We try to keep it uniform. However, some of the centres are in two or three tier cities. They cannot invest too heavily on the manufacturing and gem testing laboratories. Therefore, they have to depend on the main centres of the state. For instance, Jaipur for Rajasthan, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur for Maharashtra, so on and so forth. So all the students from the smaller cities are pooled into the state-respective main centres from time to time. This is economical for the institute and a learning experience for the students as they come together and get to learn from each other.”%% {{Accommodation for Outstation Students :}}$$ Currently with the training institutes concentrated at a few cities in the country, it is but natural that outstation students, aspiring for a career in the gems and jewellery industry or wanting to upgrade their skills, have to be provided accommodation until the time they complete their course. {{Surprisingly most of these institutes do not have hostel facilities.}} However, the institute’s management guides the students in getting paying guest accommodation. Rameshwar Prakash says, “At this point of time, my institute does not have a hostel. However, we organise paying guest accommodations. Plans for hostel is a possibility in the next phase.”%% {{The Course Curriculum }}$$ All the institutes offer basic and advanced courses in various aspects of gemmology as well as jewellery designing and manufacturing. While all the institutes have long duration courses for two or three years, most of the courses are short term and sometimes customised according to the needs of the students. However, at certain institutes degree courses including BSc and MBA are offered to the students. %% {{Systematic Content :}}$$ |*“More important than the curriculum is the question of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given” – Bertrand Russell (English logician and philosopher, 1872 -1970)*|$$ According to Devinder Layal, the syllabus needs to have more relevance to the local industry. “The academics and industry have to go hand in hand. However, the syllabus needs to be designed keeping in mind the need of OUR industry and not what the institutes are doing abroad. A lot of those things may not be applicable to our jewellery industry,” he says. %% But how does the current syllabus fulfil the requirements of the industry? Rameshwar Prakash says, “The syllabus part is very straight and need based. Need for me is on two counts – how the industry needs it and how an entrepreneur needs it. That is a very straight understanding as far as academic system is concerned. One it should be need-based for the industry, People should be accepted well. The outgoing students should be able to contribute to the industry. In case of students venturing out on their own, as far as technology and design part is concerned they should be strong enough to self start. As far as education training is concerned, we want to equip the students well.”%% So how does the institute develop the suitable syllabus? Tehmasp Printer says, “We notice institutes competing with each other in terms of duration and fees of the course and in the bargain forget what the student wants or needs. A feedback needs to be taken from the student’s parents, students as well as employees in the industry as to what they expect from the candidate and what knowledge or expertise should be imparted accordingly the courses should be designed. We take regular feedback from participants and adapt our courses accordingly. As the duration of the courses is short it is very important to cover all the relevant aspects. The course content should be more practically focussed backed up with various tests and projects to give the students challenging and practical situations to learn from.”%% But what about the traditional artisans? Do they need these courses? {{Archana Surana, Founder Director, Arch Academy of Design, Jaipur}} says, “I think there is an amazing craft that has been passed on from generations. Probably there is not much scope for the craftsman who has been dealing with age-old crafts. Rather than people actually moving out to different vocations and occupations, they can be trained and upgraded on their skills to join the different levels in the industry.”
{{The Good, Bad and Ugly Short Term Courses :}}$$ Since most of the courses are of short duration, are they lacking in terms of content? {{Abha Gupta, Academic Head, Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Jaipur, says,}} “One cannot say the courses are lacking in content. However, there would be difference of coverage of the content in a one-year course and a three-year course.” But she feels that the focus on Research and Development is missing due to the lack of time given to the students by the faculty. “We need to put more effort on R&D”, she says. %% It has been observed that many people – housewives, college students – who are aspiring for a career in the jewellery industry are opting for short time introductory and basic courses in jewellery designing. Most of the times the designs are not suitable for manufacturing thereby rendering the designs and the efforts taken for them useless. {{BK Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, Jewellery Design & Technology Institute says,}} “The sad part is that most of the students want to do three months or six months courses. They just want to learn the drawing part of jewellery designing. So sometimes they can conceptualise the design but when it comes to making then they are unable to get the wider picture about what is good for manufacturing. Along with design, students should learn manufacturing and quality control. They should learn how to file the metal, mix the metals, the composition of alloys. These all one has to learn from the scratch.” %% He goes on to explain the relevance of the courses with respect to the industry needs and the students prior experience in the field. “People who come to learn need to understand that the short term courses are for those who are already in the industry and want to enhance their knowledge. If one wants to make a career in jewellery designing or industry, they should at least have a six months experience in the jewellery workshop. They should know all the manufacturing techniques so that they should be able to get their work done. The idea is not to make jewellery ourselves but to know how to get the work done from the ‘karigars’. %% {{Upgradation :}}$$ The constant evolvement in the gems and jewellery industry necessitates a simultaneous upgradation in the technology and course content provided to the students at these institutes. {{Manoj Singhania}} explains, “Course content will always have to be upgraded as the industry changes. Modules and subject titles may remain the same, but adaptation and the specifics of the course will constantly evolve.” In addition, there is also a need for inclusion of new courses in relevance to the functioning of the industry. Citing retail jewellery selling as a part of the curriculum in the courses as compared to ten years ago, he says, “Retail is a part of the industry now, and we train our students accordingly. Such education is an ongoing, dynamic and exciting process. Though upgrading is required to keep the courses relevant, the industry will need new courses that keep in mind the potential changing trends of the industry and the way it will develop in the next decade and beyond.”
{{CAD is the Future :}}$$ With the rapid development in science and technology, the usage of computer aided designs and computer aided machines is dominant. While CAD/CAM are imbibed in the long term courses, special short term courses are also conducted for people working in the industry. Calling CAD the future, {{Nitin Bardiya}} says, “The time is coming now with computer-aided designing. Those who have already upgraded, it is very good for them. But those who have not need to get their infrastructure upgraded because CAD is the future. So I think everyone ought to improve their infrastructure to cater to that market. There should also be the approach of e-learning. There should be more of training on computer where they can see designs on computer and how the finished product will look like.”%% {{Workshops in India :}}$$ As the industry is continuously evolving in terms of the technology used and designs created there is a need for the industry itself to upgrade its expertise through various workshops. K.K. Sharma says, “For jewellers the workshops are very much useful as they already possess basic knowledge.”%% Emphasizing on the importance of upgradation as a vital aspect to the growth in the industry, Archana Surana says, “The kind of precision tools that are used in Taiwan and Bangkok etc. are amazing. We have not been able to touch those kind of tools here. It is still the old machinery that we are using and I think that the jewellery industry has been able to see a set back. This is because we have not been wise enough to upgrade our skills and our people along with the skills. This has created a huge gap in demand such that what was our niche in the past has shifted to Bangkok. So there has to be a lot of awareness among the jewellers in terms of upgrading.”%% {{Poor Response :}}$$ But how has the industry responded to the workshops conducted by these institutes from time to time? Col. S.K. Arora (retd.) says, “When we have workshops, the response is very poor from the industry side. They don’t want to leave their business and come to the institute for the workshops. It is only when they are involved or they are facing a problem, they come back or approach the institute for assistance as we render free assistance and placement for them. The workshops and seminars conducted for them at IIJS are successful. But when we call them, they don’t come. However, these companies have their own training imparted in their organizational structure.” %% BK Narula adds, “The sad part is most of the industry workers do not respond in a positive manner. Recently we had a workshop on African craft. While there was a good response from our own students there was no response from the industry. We had invited a person from Africa to conduct the workshop.”%% {{Affiliation Impetus & Recognition :}}$$ The Indian gems and jewellery industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country. In the recent years, the domestic industry has also witnessed a boom. Most of the institutes have tie-ups with bodies like the GJEPC or the World Gold Council. Ironically, none of the courses imparted by most of the institutes are recognized at university level. Experts believe that if there is recognition at the university level it would give an impetus to the industry as a whole. %% Col. S.K. Arora says, “There is no kind of practical training available matching the university standard. The area which is lacking is the training given to students. They do not get recognition in the form of degree. The three year course of jewellery designing and manufacturing technology of our institute is recognised by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. However when our students seek to pursue higher education whether in India or abroad, it is imperative that this education gets recognition at the university level and they are awarded a proper degree. There is an important need to develop such infrastructure in our country so that we can grow.
{{Specific Engineering Qualification Needed :}}$$ He also suggests that there should be an engineering degree specifically for the gems and jewellery industry as currently the industry is running by borrowing engineers from other fields. As the training centres are already equipped with infrastructure, he feels it fit if the university adopts or recognises the institutes instead of trying to set up their own departments. The university can have control, through an expert committee comprising people from the industry and faculty members to evaluate the syllabus. %% {{Awareness of Career Among Masses :}}$$ With India Inc. going global and the customer becoming more fashion conscious, there is a good demand for jewellery designers in the country. According to Archana Surana, “The jewellery industry is definitely dependent on the designers. Once upon a time, importers called for their designs from the Western countries. Nevertheless, as hiring designers from the western countries has become expensive, these importers are relying on Indian companies to have inputs for design. There is a huge potential for designers.” She adds, “Jewellery is no longer a possession or treasure you have. It is as if you need to gear yourself with your existing garment. It is accessorizing and it is a style statement you have to have.” %% {{Good Pay Masters Needed :}}$$ Thanks to the Indian cinema and television, many aspire to become jewellery designers in the two and three tier cities. Today, jewellery designing remains one of the most popular courses in India. However, are the local jewellers optimising on this breed of skilled designers in their area? {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University}}, says, “There is design awareness in every city for jewellery along with fashion. However, sadly the jeweller is not able to realise the importance of qualified professional and still believe in keeping unskilled/untrained workers at less wages. If the industry has to grow it has to pay a good remuneration to the skilled staff.” %% But who are the people who throng the institutes? How much of media promotion has been done? Nitin Bardia says, “The awareness is not sufficient. It needs to improve. The jewellery institutes are using the medium for B2B marketing which is good in terms of placements. But they also have to advertise in the local media which reaches the masses. This should be done in order to take government help to promote themselves. Until now the jewellery industry was tightly held. So far it has been the people in the business or from the business go and learn all the courses. Hardly five percent of people from outside the industry come. I think the awareness needs to be increased. The prospects need to be told. People think that one becomes only a designer after learning designing. But they need to be made aware that there are other positions also for getting placed.”
{{Need Increasing :}}$$ He also adds that the need for jewellery professionals is increasing day by day as there is a shortage of two lakh professionally trained staff in terms of jewellery designers, and retail sales executives. As the students are trained in a specialised course, the options to join either a corporate or a jewellery specific industry is wide open to them. %% {{Government’s Role :}}$$ Most of the experts believe that the education ministry can play a vital role in terms of the infrastructure as well as remuneration provided to the faculty members in the institutes. The government can provide areas at suitable locations to set up the institutes. %% {{2009 Aftermath :}}$$ While the industry is recovering from last year’s recession, the question arises: is there a need to start new courses? Roland Lorie says, “When times are difficult, we usually see a major increase in number of students. We think the reasons are that professionals realise that in order to be able to convince reluctant consumers to buy, they need a maximum of knowledge in order to feel 100 percent confident themselves and during recession they have more time. We also see many people that want to change these professional direction and are interested in this field. Recession gives you the time to slow down, think, educate and accordingly move on with your career or work.”%% {{EPILOGUE}}%% {{Young India Needs Quality Education :}}$$ While the industry feels the need to open more training centres in the country, other issues in terms of infrastructure, affiliation and awareness of the gems & jewellery industry as a career option have been overlooked. It is time that the gems and jewellery trade, institutions and the government work hand in hand to meet the challenges of a continuously evolving industry. As Manoj Singhania says, “India is a young nation where more than 30 per cent of the people are of 10 to 24 years of age and are actively looking for quality education in various sectors. India’s emphasis on quality education has made it an intellectually powerful country and the gems and jewellery industry needs to ensure its ranks remain filled with trained, enthusiastic and impactful professionals.”
In the last two decades, the Indian gems and jewellery industry has grown and changed rapidly. Apart from attracting the ever-conscious customer, the industry is also addressing the rapidly growing global market. This calls for people working in this sector to upgrade and broaden their knowledge. From grading to design, and sales to management, the need to upgrade to a wide variety of important skills is urgent. This also warrants for more training centres and workshops in the country.%% But, is just setting up of more centres in various regions enough or are there other concerns regarding the education system for the gems and jewellery courses that needs to be focused upon? Some of the leading educationists speak out to the |*{{Diamond World}}*|%%. {{Types of Students :}}$$ For any training institute and centre, the students’ strength is one of the determining factors of its success. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the type of students joining these centres. There are three specific types of students according to {{Roland Lorié, CEO, International Gemological Institute (IGI)}}. |*“The first one is the person who wants to become a diamond or jewellery manufacturer. He or she has to follow the in-depth course in order to know everything about manufacturing, buying rough and polishing it, and the same for jewellery manufacturing. The student needs enough knowledge in order to manufacture using the latest technologies. The second group are the jewellers. They need less in depth knowledge because they work with a finished product – polished diamonds. However, of course they need to know exactly what they are buying and selling. The third group is the consumer. Today consumers are not spending money for something they do not understand. Seminars are organised for them so that they would feel confident when going to a jewellery shop,” he emphasizes. *| {{TRAINING CENTRES IN INDIA :}}$$ According to {{Rajesh Takru, Director-General, National Institute of Fashion Technology,}} “Training centres are required to assist gems and jewellery units for upgradation of products, quality and to promote export of gems and jewellery products in India and abroad by providing trained and skilled human resources in this rapidly expanding sector.” %% The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has opened various training centres across the country which comprise :%% {[The Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) - Surat, ]} {[Gemmological Institute of India (GII)-Mumbai,]} {[Gem Testing Laboratory (GTL) – Jaipur,]} {[Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) – Mumbai, and}] {[IIGJ (formerly known as the Jewellery Product Development Centre) – New Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata. }] Some of the other popular gems and jewellery training institutes in India include :$$ [[Indian Institute of Jewellery - Mumbai, ]} {[ATR Institute of Jewellery Design – across India, ]} {[Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture (part of SNDT University), ]} {[Arch Academy of Design - Jaipur, ]} {[Gemological Institute of America(GIA), ]} {[International Gemological Institute(IGI), ]} {[National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – Gandhinagar, ]} {[Jewellery Design & Technology Institute - Noida and Chandigarh.]} Recently at the {{Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s}} (FICCI) first international conference on gems and jewellery, {{Sushil Jiwarajka,}} Chairman FICCI-WRC suggested the setting up of more training centres across India in order to upgrade knowledge on all aspects of jewellery manufacturing and designing.
{{The Requirement :}}$$ So how would one define the requirement for training centres? {{Rameshwar Prakash, CEO of Indian Institute of Gems and Jewllery, Jaipur }}avers, “There are two parts – one is the recruitment part and another is the location part. This particular industry certainly needs a large requirement of trained work force whether it is for designing or manufacturing. We have a habit of talking in terms of various gems and jewellery hubs. For the growth of the industry, naturally these hubs have a strong role to play wherein we have to get this requirement fulfilled. There are some catchment areas attached to these in terms of geography. They have to be serviced by institutes wherever they are located.”%% While citing that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular location, {{Nitin Bardia, Director, ATR Institute of Jewellery Design }}feels the need for the institutes is where the manufacturing of gems and jewellery takes place such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Pune and Bangalore. He adds, “The need for the institutes is also pulled by the students who are the end customers for the institute. So the need for the institutes I feel are in those parts of the country which have a good strength of students.”%% {{K.K. Sharma, Executive Director of the Indian Diamond Institute,}} Surat says, “More training centres are now required in the country. Metro and major cities of India do have national and international gemmological institutes, but B class cities and small towns are far behind. Nowadays demand of gemstones, diamonds and jewellery is increasing rapidly, particularly even in small cities and villages. In the eastern part of the country, only Kolkata has some institutes. However, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, although very rich in minerals and gemstones deposits yet do not have proper gemmological institutes for studies. Other states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, and Uttar Pradesh are also potential states where jewellery demand is big, but there is no training centre. At least, each state should now have one training centre for learning jewellery and subject gemmology.” %% Citing the inconvenience for students to travel a larger distance to do the long term or short term courses, {{Col. S.K. Arora (Retd.), Head of Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, Mumbai}} says, “We get students from all over India. If training facilities were available at regional or state level, why would the students have to travel to Mumbai for the training? In Mumbai, we do not have hostel facility. Students have to search for paying-guest facility or stay outside. If there are institutes available at least one per state, the growth of the Industry would start from the regional level too. Besides accommodation at those regional levels would be cheaper than in metros.”
{{Feasibility Factor :}}$$ However, if one considers the length and breadth of the country, how feasible would setting up a centre in every state be? {{Manoj Singhania, Director of Education for Gemmological Institute of America (GIA)- Indian and Middle East region}} says, “Setting up training centres across the country is a challenge, given the size and spread of India. Mumbai and Surat are diamond hubs, and Jaipur is a colored gemstone nucleus. These cities attract tradesmen from across whole India and the world. Full training centres in important cities and industry hubs, such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata will develop the professional level of the gems and jewellery industry in India by training the individuals who work in it. Other places can be supported through workshops as required and desired.” %% {{Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director, IGI-India,}} suggests, “Each prominent city or town has the local jewellery associations. These bodies should help provide the required infrastructure or spaces, which can be rented out to suit the purpose of dispensing our courses. Initiative needs to be taken by World-renowned Institutes to have centres or arrange regular programs in these small towns and cities. A permanent training centre with qualified instructors in every town is not feasible at this stage.”%% {{The Infrastructure :}}$$ The first important factor in any technical institute is the infrastructure that is made available. It is the basic physical and organisational structures as well as the services and facilities needed for the operation of an enterprise. In an industry where innovation dominates and new designs, styles, machinery develop frequently, providing the right and latest infrastructure to the training centres becomes imperative. Manoj Singhania observes, “Like most businesses today, the Indian gems and jewellery industry is also working in a global environment, and technology continues to advance rapidly. In today’s dynamic scenario – where new technology changes the way factories work overnight – manufacturing-related courses need to be updated at regular intervals to keep the students updated and well informed. Similarly, students in gemmology and jewellery designing courses need to know what the latest industry trends are and be exposed to processes and business practices used around the world.”%% {{Sub-standard Initiatives :}}$$ Yet much is left to be desired. One major concern is the flourishing of many small institutes in various cities across the country. These institutes are devoid of proper facilities and expertise. KK Sharma says, “Very few institutes have proper infrastructures for training. Many unorganised and Spartan types of institutes are mushrooming without proper infrastructure, facilities and technology back-up.” He further points out, “Upgradation of technology is a prerequisite to keep pace with the international standards. Day-by-day industry is encountering new enhancement techniques, synthetic gemstones, etc. To overcome these problems, an institute has to upgrade itself with the latest technology.” %% {{More Funds Needed :}}$$ Emphasizing the inadequate supply of funds for the educational institutes to upgrade the technological knowhow, {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University,}} says, “There are hardly any institutions with the complete infrastructure. Yes, the need of the hour is the technological advancement, which can only happen if sufficient funds are made available. Funds are a major problem with most of the institutes and we cannot burden the student or parent with it. There has to be a collective effort by the government and the industry to support the institutes.”
Besides, is the same infrastructure applicable at all the places? {{Nitin Bardiya,}} whose Institute has 35 centres across the country, says, “The infrastructure is different in all centres. We try to keep it uniform. However, some of the centres are in two or three tier cities. They cannot invest too heavily on the manufacturing and gem testing laboratories. Therefore, they have to depend on the main centres of the state. For instance, Jaipur for Rajasthan, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur for Maharashtra, so on and so forth. So all the students from the smaller cities are pooled into the state-respective main centres from time to time. This is economical for the institute and a learning experience for the students as they come together and get to learn from each other.”%% {{Accommodation for Outstation Students :}}$$ Currently with the training institutes concentrated at a few cities in the country, it is but natural that outstation students, aspiring for a career in the gems and jewellery industry or wanting to upgrade their skills, have to be provided accommodation until the time they complete their course. {{Surprisingly most of these institutes do not have hostel facilities.}} However, the institute’s management guides the students in getting paying guest accommodation. Rameshwar Prakash says, “At this point of time, my institute does not have a hostel. However, we organise paying guest accommodations. Plans for hostel is a possibility in the next phase.”%% {{The Course Curriculum }}$$ All the institutes offer basic and advanced courses in various aspects of gemmology as well as jewellery designing and manufacturing. While all the institutes have long duration courses for two or three years, most of the courses are short term and sometimes customised according to the needs of the students. However, at certain institutes degree courses including BSc and MBA are offered to the students. %% {{Systematic Content :}}$$ |*“More important than the curriculum is the question of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given” – Bertrand Russell (English logician and philosopher, 1872 -1970)*|$$ According to Devinder Layal, the syllabus needs to have more relevance to the local industry. “The academics and industry have to go hand in hand. However, the syllabus needs to be designed keeping in mind the need of OUR industry and not what the institutes are doing abroad. A lot of those things may not be applicable to our jewellery industry,” he says. %% But how does the current syllabus fulfil the requirements of the industry? Rameshwar Prakash says, “The syllabus part is very straight and need based. Need for me is on two counts – how the industry needs it and how an entrepreneur needs it. That is a very straight understanding as far as academic system is concerned. One it should be need-based for the industry, People should be accepted well. The outgoing students should be able to contribute to the industry. In case of students venturing out on their own, as far as technology and design part is concerned they should be strong enough to self start. As far as education training is concerned, we want to equip the students well.”%% So how does the institute develop the suitable syllabus? Tehmasp Printer says, “We notice institutes competing with each other in terms of duration and fees of the course and in the bargain forget what the student wants or needs. A feedback needs to be taken from the student’s parents, students as well as employees in the industry as to what they expect from the candidate and what knowledge or expertise should be imparted accordingly the courses should be designed. We take regular feedback from participants and adapt our courses accordingly. As the duration of the courses is short it is very important to cover all the relevant aspects. The course content should be more practically focussed backed up with various tests and projects to give the students challenging and practical situations to learn from.”%% But what about the traditional artisans? Do they need these courses? {{Archana Surana, Founder Director, Arch Academy of Design, Jaipur}} says, “I think there is an amazing craft that has been passed on from generations. Probably there is not much scope for the craftsman who has been dealing with age-old crafts. Rather than people actually moving out to different vocations and occupations, they can be trained and upgraded on their skills to join the different levels in the industry.”
{{The Good, Bad and Ugly Short Term Courses :}}$$ Since most of the courses are of short duration, are they lacking in terms of content? {{Abha Gupta, Academic Head, Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Jaipur, says,}} “One cannot say the courses are lacking in content. However, there would be difference of coverage of the content in a one-year course and a three-year course.” But she feels that the focus on Research and Development is missing due to the lack of time given to the students by the faculty. “We need to put more effort on R&D”, she says. %% It has been observed that many people – housewives, college students – who are aspiring for a career in the jewellery industry are opting for short time introductory and basic courses in jewellery designing. Most of the times the designs are not suitable for manufacturing thereby rendering the designs and the efforts taken for them useless. {{BK Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, Jewellery Design & Technology Institute says,}} “The sad part is that most of the students want to do three months or six months courses. They just want to learn the drawing part of jewellery designing. So sometimes they can conceptualise the design but when it comes to making then they are unable to get the wider picture about what is good for manufacturing. Along with design, students should learn manufacturing and quality control. They should learn how to file the metal, mix the metals, the composition of alloys. These all one has to learn from the scratch.” %% He goes on to explain the relevance of the courses with respect to the industry needs and the students prior experience in the field. “People who come to learn need to understand that the short term courses are for those who are already in the industry and want to enhance their knowledge. If one wants to make a career in jewellery designing or industry, they should at least have a six months experience in the jewellery workshop. They should know all the manufacturing techniques so that they should be able to get their work done. The idea is not to make jewellery ourselves but to know how to get the work done from the ‘karigars’. %% {{Upgradation :}}$$ The constant evolvement in the gems and jewellery industry necessitates a simultaneous upgradation in the technology and course content provided to the students at these institutes. {{Manoj Singhania}} explains, “Course content will always have to be upgraded as the industry changes. Modules and subject titles may remain the same, but adaptation and the specifics of the course will constantly evolve.” In addition, there is also a need for inclusion of new courses in relevance to the functioning of the industry. Citing retail jewellery selling as a part of the curriculum in the courses as compared to ten years ago, he says, “Retail is a part of the industry now, and we train our students accordingly. Such education is an ongoing, dynamic and exciting process. Though upgrading is required to keep the courses relevant, the industry will need new courses that keep in mind the potential changing trends of the industry and the way it will develop in the next decade and beyond.”
{{CAD is the Future :}}$$ With the rapid development in science and technology, the usage of computer aided designs and computer aided machines is dominant. While CAD/CAM are imbibed in the long term courses, special short term courses are also conducted for people working in the industry. Calling CAD the future, {{Nitin Bardiya}} says, “The time is coming now with computer-aided designing. Those who have already upgraded, it is very good for them. But those who have not need to get their infrastructure upgraded because CAD is the future. So I think everyone ought to improve their infrastructure to cater to that market. There should also be the approach of e-learning. There should be more of training on computer where they can see designs on computer and how the finished product will look like.”%% {{Workshops in India :}}$$ As the industry is continuously evolving in terms of the technology used and designs created there is a need for the industry itself to upgrade its expertise through various workshops. K.K. Sharma says, “For jewellers the workshops are very much useful as they already possess basic knowledge.”%% Emphasizing on the importance of upgradation as a vital aspect to the growth in the industry, Archana Surana says, “The kind of precision tools that are used in Taiwan and Bangkok etc. are amazing. We have not been able to touch those kind of tools here. It is still the old machinery that we are using and I think that the jewellery industry has been able to see a set back. This is because we have not been wise enough to upgrade our skills and our people along with the skills. This has created a huge gap in demand such that what was our niche in the past has shifted to Bangkok. So there has to be a lot of awareness among the jewellers in terms of upgrading.”%% {{Poor Response :}}$$ But how has the industry responded to the workshops conducted by these institutes from time to time? Col. S.K. Arora (retd.) says, “When we have workshops, the response is very poor from the industry side. They don’t want to leave their business and come to the institute for the workshops. It is only when they are involved or they are facing a problem, they come back or approach the institute for assistance as we render free assistance and placement for them. The workshops and seminars conducted for them at IIJS are successful. But when we call them, they don’t come. However, these companies have their own training imparted in their organizational structure.” %% BK Narula adds, “The sad part is most of the industry workers do not respond in a positive manner. Recently we had a workshop on African craft. While there was a good response from our own students there was no response from the industry. We had invited a person from Africa to conduct the workshop.”%% {{Affiliation Impetus & Recognition :}}$$ The Indian gems and jewellery industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country. In the recent years, the domestic industry has also witnessed a boom. Most of the institutes have tie-ups with bodies like the GJEPC or the World Gold Council. Ironically, none of the courses imparted by most of the institutes are recognized at university level. Experts believe that if there is recognition at the university level it would give an impetus to the industry as a whole. %% Col. S.K. Arora says, “There is no kind of practical training available matching the university standard. The area which is lacking is the training given to students. They do not get recognition in the form of degree. The three year course of jewellery designing and manufacturing technology of our institute is recognised by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. However when our students seek to pursue higher education whether in India or abroad, it is imperative that this education gets recognition at the university level and they are awarded a proper degree. There is an important need to develop such infrastructure in our country so that we can grow.
{{Specific Engineering Qualification Needed :}}$$ He also suggests that there should be an engineering degree specifically for the gems and jewellery industry as currently the industry is running by borrowing engineers from other fields. As the training centres are already equipped with infrastructure, he feels it fit if the university adopts or recognises the institutes instead of trying to set up their own departments. The university can have control, through an expert committee comprising people from the industry and faculty members to evaluate the syllabus. %% {{Awareness of Career Among Masses :}}$$ With India Inc. going global and the customer becoming more fashion conscious, there is a good demand for jewellery designers in the country. According to Archana Surana, “The jewellery industry is definitely dependent on the designers. Once upon a time, importers called for their designs from the Western countries. Nevertheless, as hiring designers from the western countries has become expensive, these importers are relying on Indian companies to have inputs for design. There is a huge potential for designers.” She adds, “Jewellery is no longer a possession or treasure you have. It is as if you need to gear yourself with your existing garment. It is accessorizing and it is a style statement you have to have.” %% {{Good Pay Masters Needed :}}$$ Thanks to the Indian cinema and television, many aspire to become jewellery designers in the two and three tier cities. Today, jewellery designing remains one of the most popular courses in India. However, are the local jewellers optimising on this breed of skilled designers in their area? {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University}}, says, “There is design awareness in every city for jewellery along with fashion. However, sadly the jeweller is not able to realise the importance of qualified professional and still believe in keeping unskilled/untrained workers at less wages. If the industry has to grow it has to pay a good remuneration to the skilled staff.” %% But who are the people who throng the institutes? How much of media promotion has been done? Nitin Bardia says, “The awareness is not sufficient. It needs to improve. The jewellery institutes are using the medium for B2B marketing which is good in terms of placements. But they also have to advertise in the local media which reaches the masses. This should be done in order to take government help to promote themselves. Until now the jewellery industry was tightly held. So far it has been the people in the business or from the business go and learn all the courses. Hardly five percent of people from outside the industry come. I think the awareness needs to be increased. The prospects need to be told. People think that one becomes only a designer after learning designing. But they need to be made aware that there are other positions also for getting placed.”
{{Need Increasing :}}$$ He also adds that the need for jewellery professionals is increasing day by day as there is a shortage of two lakh professionally trained staff in terms of jewellery designers, and retail sales executives. As the students are trained in a specialised course, the options to join either a corporate or a jewellery specific industry is wide open to them. %% {{Government’s Role :}}$$ Most of the experts believe that the education ministry can play a vital role in terms of the infrastructure as well as remuneration provided to the faculty members in the institutes. The government can provide areas at suitable locations to set up the institutes. %% {{2009 Aftermath :}}$$ While the industry is recovering from last year’s recession, the question arises: is there a need to start new courses? Roland Lorie says, “When times are difficult, we usually see a major increase in number of students. We think the reasons are that professionals realise that in order to be able to convince reluctant consumers to buy, they need a maximum of knowledge in order to feel 100 percent confident themselves and during recession they have more time. We also see many people that want to change these professional direction and are interested in this field. Recession gives you the time to slow down, think, educate and accordingly move on with your career or work.”%% {{EPILOGUE}}%% {{Young India Needs Quality Education :}}$$ While the industry feels the need to open more training centres in the country, other issues in terms of infrastructure, affiliation and awareness of the gems & jewellery industry as a career option have been overlooked. It is time that the gems and jewellery trade, institutions and the government work hand in hand to meet the challenges of a continuously evolving industry. As Manoj Singhania says, “India is a young nation where more than 30 per cent of the people are of 10 to 24 years of age and are actively looking for quality education in various sectors. India’s emphasis on quality education has made it an intellectually powerful country and the gems and jewellery industry needs to ensure its ranks remain filled with trained, enthusiastic and impactful professionals.”
In the last two decades, the Indian gems and jewellery industry has grown and changed rapidly. Apart from attracting the ever-conscious customer, the industry is also addressing the rapidly growing global market. This calls for people working in this sector to upgrade and broaden their knowledge. From grading to design, and sales to management, the need to upgrade to a wide variety of important skills is urgent. This also warrants for more training centres and workshops in the country.%% But, is just setting up of more centres in various regions enough or are there other concerns regarding the education system for the gems and jewellery courses that needs to be focused upon? Some of the leading educationists speak out to the |*{{Diamond World}}*|%%. {{Types of Students :}}$$ For any training institute and centre, the students’ strength is one of the determining factors of its success. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the type of students joining these centres. There are three specific types of students according to {{Roland Lorié, CEO, International Gemological Institute (IGI)}}. |*“The first one is the person who wants to become a diamond or jewellery manufacturer. He or she has to follow the in-depth course in order to know everything about manufacturing, buying rough and polishing it, and the same for jewellery manufacturing. The student needs enough knowledge in order to manufacture using the latest technologies. The second group are the jewellers. They need less in depth knowledge because they work with a finished product – polished diamonds. However, of course they need to know exactly what they are buying and selling. The third group is the consumer. Today consumers are not spending money for something they do not understand. Seminars are organised for them so that they would feel confident when going to a jewellery shop,” he emphasizes. *| {{TRAINING CENTRES IN INDIA :}}$$ According to {{Rajesh Takru, Director-General, National Institute of Fashion Technology,}} “Training centres are required to assist gems and jewellery units for upgradation of products, quality and to promote export of gems and jewellery products in India and abroad by providing trained and skilled human resources in this rapidly expanding sector.” %% The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has opened various training centres across the country which comprise :%% {[The Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) - Surat, ]} {[Gemmological Institute of India (GII)-Mumbai,]} {[Gem Testing Laboratory (GTL) – Jaipur,]} {[Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) – Mumbai, and}] {[IIGJ (formerly known as the Jewellery Product Development Centre) – New Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata. }] Some of the other popular gems and jewellery training institutes in India include :$$ [[Indian Institute of Jewellery - Mumbai, ]} {[ATR Institute of Jewellery Design – across India, ]} {[Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture (part of SNDT University), ]} {[Arch Academy of Design - Jaipur, ]} {[Gemological Institute of America(GIA), ]} {[International Gemological Institute(IGI), ]} {[National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – Gandhinagar, ]} {[Jewellery Design & Technology Institute - Noida and Chandigarh.]} Recently at the {{Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s}} (FICCI) first international conference on gems and jewellery, {{Sushil Jiwarajka,}} Chairman FICCI-WRC suggested the setting up of more training centres across India in order to upgrade knowledge on all aspects of jewellery manufacturing and designing.
{{The Requirement :}}$$ So how would one define the requirement for training centres? {{Rameshwar Prakash, CEO of Indian Institute of Gems and Jewllery, Jaipur }}avers, “There are two parts – one is the recruitment part and another is the location part. This particular industry certainly needs a large requirement of trained work force whether it is for designing or manufacturing. We have a habit of talking in terms of various gems and jewellery hubs. For the growth of the industry, naturally these hubs have a strong role to play wherein we have to get this requirement fulfilled. There are some catchment areas attached to these in terms of geography. They have to be serviced by institutes wherever they are located.”%% While citing that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular location, {{Nitin Bardia, Director, ATR Institute of Jewellery Design }}feels the need for the institutes is where the manufacturing of gems and jewellery takes place such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Pune and Bangalore. He adds, “The need for the institutes is also pulled by the students who are the end customers for the institute. So the need for the institutes I feel are in those parts of the country which have a good strength of students.”%% {{K.K. Sharma, Executive Director of the Indian Diamond Institute,}} Surat says, “More training centres are now required in the country. Metro and major cities of India do have national and international gemmological institutes, but B class cities and small towns are far behind. Nowadays demand of gemstones, diamonds and jewellery is increasing rapidly, particularly even in small cities and villages. In the eastern part of the country, only Kolkata has some institutes. However, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, although very rich in minerals and gemstones deposits yet do not have proper gemmological institutes for studies. Other states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, and Uttar Pradesh are also potential states where jewellery demand is big, but there is no training centre. At least, each state should now have one training centre for learning jewellery and subject gemmology.” %% Citing the inconvenience for students to travel a larger distance to do the long term or short term courses, {{Col. S.K. Arora (Retd.), Head of Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, Mumbai}} says, “We get students from all over India. If training facilities were available at regional or state level, why would the students have to travel to Mumbai for the training? In Mumbai, we do not have hostel facility. Students have to search for paying-guest facility or stay outside. If there are institutes available at least one per state, the growth of the Industry would start from the regional level too. Besides accommodation at those regional levels would be cheaper than in metros.”
{{Feasibility Factor :}}$$ However, if one considers the length and breadth of the country, how feasible would setting up a centre in every state be? {{Manoj Singhania, Director of Education for Gemmological Institute of America (GIA)- Indian and Middle East region}} says, “Setting up training centres across the country is a challenge, given the size and spread of India. Mumbai and Surat are diamond hubs, and Jaipur is a colored gemstone nucleus. These cities attract tradesmen from across whole India and the world. Full training centres in important cities and industry hubs, such as Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata will develop the professional level of the gems and jewellery industry in India by training the individuals who work in it. Other places can be supported through workshops as required and desired.” %% {{Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director, IGI-India,}} suggests, “Each prominent city or town has the local jewellery associations. These bodies should help provide the required infrastructure or spaces, which can be rented out to suit the purpose of dispensing our courses. Initiative needs to be taken by World-renowned Institutes to have centres or arrange regular programs in these small towns and cities. A permanent training centre with qualified instructors in every town is not feasible at this stage.”%% {{The Infrastructure :}}$$ The first important factor in any technical institute is the infrastructure that is made available. It is the basic physical and organisational structures as well as the services and facilities needed for the operation of an enterprise. In an industry where innovation dominates and new designs, styles, machinery develop frequently, providing the right and latest infrastructure to the training centres becomes imperative. Manoj Singhania observes, “Like most businesses today, the Indian gems and jewellery industry is also working in a global environment, and technology continues to advance rapidly. In today’s dynamic scenario – where new technology changes the way factories work overnight – manufacturing-related courses need to be updated at regular intervals to keep the students updated and well informed. Similarly, students in gemmology and jewellery designing courses need to know what the latest industry trends are and be exposed to processes and business practices used around the world.”%% {{Sub-standard Initiatives :}}$$ Yet much is left to be desired. One major concern is the flourishing of many small institutes in various cities across the country. These institutes are devoid of proper facilities and expertise. KK Sharma says, “Very few institutes have proper infrastructures for training. Many unorganised and Spartan types of institutes are mushrooming without proper infrastructure, facilities and technology back-up.” He further points out, “Upgradation of technology is a prerequisite to keep pace with the international standards. Day-by-day industry is encountering new enhancement techniques, synthetic gemstones, etc. To overcome these problems, an institute has to upgrade itself with the latest technology.” %% {{More Funds Needed :}}$$ Emphasizing the inadequate supply of funds for the educational institutes to upgrade the technological knowhow, {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University,}} says, “There are hardly any institutions with the complete infrastructure. Yes, the need of the hour is the technological advancement, which can only happen if sufficient funds are made available. Funds are a major problem with most of the institutes and we cannot burden the student or parent with it. There has to be a collective effort by the government and the industry to support the institutes.”
Besides, is the same infrastructure applicable at all the places? {{Nitin Bardiya,}} whose Institute has 35 centres across the country, says, “The infrastructure is different in all centres. We try to keep it uniform. However, some of the centres are in two or three tier cities. They cannot invest too heavily on the manufacturing and gem testing laboratories. Therefore, they have to depend on the main centres of the state. For instance, Jaipur for Rajasthan, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur for Maharashtra, so on and so forth. So all the students from the smaller cities are pooled into the state-respective main centres from time to time. This is economical for the institute and a learning experience for the students as they come together and get to learn from each other.”%% {{Accommodation for Outstation Students :}}$$ Currently with the training institutes concentrated at a few cities in the country, it is but natural that outstation students, aspiring for a career in the gems and jewellery industry or wanting to upgrade their skills, have to be provided accommodation until the time they complete their course. {{Surprisingly most of these institutes do not have hostel facilities.}} However, the institute’s management guides the students in getting paying guest accommodation. Rameshwar Prakash says, “At this point of time, my institute does not have a hostel. However, we organise paying guest accommodations. Plans for hostel is a possibility in the next phase.”%% {{The Course Curriculum }}$$ All the institutes offer basic and advanced courses in various aspects of gemmology as well as jewellery designing and manufacturing. While all the institutes have long duration courses for two or three years, most of the courses are short term and sometimes customised according to the needs of the students. However, at certain institutes degree courses including BSc and MBA are offered to the students. %% {{Systematic Content :}}$$ |*“More important than the curriculum is the question of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given” – Bertrand Russell (English logician and philosopher, 1872 -1970)*|$$ According to Devinder Layal, the syllabus needs to have more relevance to the local industry. “The academics and industry have to go hand in hand. However, the syllabus needs to be designed keeping in mind the need of OUR industry and not what the institutes are doing abroad. A lot of those things may not be applicable to our jewellery industry,” he says. %% But how does the current syllabus fulfil the requirements of the industry? Rameshwar Prakash says, “The syllabus part is very straight and need based. Need for me is on two counts – how the industry needs it and how an entrepreneur needs it. That is a very straight understanding as far as academic system is concerned. One it should be need-based for the industry, People should be accepted well. The outgoing students should be able to contribute to the industry. In case of students venturing out on their own, as far as technology and design part is concerned they should be strong enough to self start. As far as education training is concerned, we want to equip the students well.”%% So how does the institute develop the suitable syllabus? Tehmasp Printer says, “We notice institutes competing with each other in terms of duration and fees of the course and in the bargain forget what the student wants or needs. A feedback needs to be taken from the student’s parents, students as well as employees in the industry as to what they expect from the candidate and what knowledge or expertise should be imparted accordingly the courses should be designed. We take regular feedback from participants and adapt our courses accordingly. As the duration of the courses is short it is very important to cover all the relevant aspects. The course content should be more practically focussed backed up with various tests and projects to give the students challenging and practical situations to learn from.”%% But what about the traditional artisans? Do they need these courses? {{Archana Surana, Founder Director, Arch Academy of Design, Jaipur}} says, “I think there is an amazing craft that has been passed on from generations. Probably there is not much scope for the craftsman who has been dealing with age-old crafts. Rather than people actually moving out to different vocations and occupations, they can be trained and upgraded on their skills to join the different levels in the industry.”
{{The Good, Bad and Ugly Short Term Courses :}}$$ Since most of the courses are of short duration, are they lacking in terms of content? {{Abha Gupta, Academic Head, Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Jaipur, says,}} “One cannot say the courses are lacking in content. However, there would be difference of coverage of the content in a one-year course and a three-year course.” But she feels that the focus on Research and Development is missing due to the lack of time given to the students by the faculty. “We need to put more effort on R&D”, she says. %% It has been observed that many people – housewives, college students – who are aspiring for a career in the jewellery industry are opting for short time introductory and basic courses in jewellery designing. Most of the times the designs are not suitable for manufacturing thereby rendering the designs and the efforts taken for them useless. {{BK Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, Jewellery Design & Technology Institute says,}} “The sad part is that most of the students want to do three months or six months courses. They just want to learn the drawing part of jewellery designing. So sometimes they can conceptualise the design but when it comes to making then they are unable to get the wider picture about what is good for manufacturing. Along with design, students should learn manufacturing and quality control. They should learn how to file the metal, mix the metals, the composition of alloys. These all one has to learn from the scratch.” %% He goes on to explain the relevance of the courses with respect to the industry needs and the students prior experience in the field. “People who come to learn need to understand that the short term courses are for those who are already in the industry and want to enhance their knowledge. If one wants to make a career in jewellery designing or industry, they should at least have a six months experience in the jewellery workshop. They should know all the manufacturing techniques so that they should be able to get their work done. The idea is not to make jewellery ourselves but to know how to get the work done from the ‘karigars’. %% {{Upgradation :}}$$ The constant evolvement in the gems and jewellery industry necessitates a simultaneous upgradation in the technology and course content provided to the students at these institutes. {{Manoj Singhania}} explains, “Course content will always have to be upgraded as the industry changes. Modules and subject titles may remain the same, but adaptation and the specifics of the course will constantly evolve.” In addition, there is also a need for inclusion of new courses in relevance to the functioning of the industry. Citing retail jewellery selling as a part of the curriculum in the courses as compared to ten years ago, he says, “Retail is a part of the industry now, and we train our students accordingly. Such education is an ongoing, dynamic and exciting process. Though upgrading is required to keep the courses relevant, the industry will need new courses that keep in mind the potential changing trends of the industry and the way it will develop in the next decade and beyond.”
{{CAD is the Future :}}$$ With the rapid development in science and technology, the usage of computer aided designs and computer aided machines is dominant. While CAD/CAM are imbibed in the long term courses, special short term courses are also conducted for people working in the industry. Calling CAD the future, {{Nitin Bardiya}} says, “The time is coming now with computer-aided designing. Those who have already upgraded, it is very good for them. But those who have not need to get their infrastructure upgraded because CAD is the future. So I think everyone ought to improve their infrastructure to cater to that market. There should also be the approach of e-learning. There should be more of training on computer where they can see designs on computer and how the finished product will look like.”%% {{Workshops in India :}}$$ As the industry is continuously evolving in terms of the technology used and designs created there is a need for the industry itself to upgrade its expertise through various workshops. K.K. Sharma says, “For jewellers the workshops are very much useful as they already possess basic knowledge.”%% Emphasizing on the importance of upgradation as a vital aspect to the growth in the industry, Archana Surana says, “The kind of precision tools that are used in Taiwan and Bangkok etc. are amazing. We have not been able to touch those kind of tools here. It is still the old machinery that we are using and I think that the jewellery industry has been able to see a set back. This is because we have not been wise enough to upgrade our skills and our people along with the skills. This has created a huge gap in demand such that what was our niche in the past has shifted to Bangkok. So there has to be a lot of awareness among the jewellers in terms of upgrading.”%% {{Poor Response :}}$$ But how has the industry responded to the workshops conducted by these institutes from time to time? Col. S.K. Arora (retd.) says, “When we have workshops, the response is very poor from the industry side. They don’t want to leave their business and come to the institute for the workshops. It is only when they are involved or they are facing a problem, they come back or approach the institute for assistance as we render free assistance and placement for them. The workshops and seminars conducted for them at IIJS are successful. But when we call them, they don’t come. However, these companies have their own training imparted in their organizational structure.” %% BK Narula adds, “The sad part is most of the industry workers do not respond in a positive manner. Recently we had a workshop on African craft. While there was a good response from our own students there was no response from the industry. We had invited a person from Africa to conduct the workshop.”%% {{Affiliation Impetus & Recognition :}}$$ The Indian gems and jewellery industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country. In the recent years, the domestic industry has also witnessed a boom. Most of the institutes have tie-ups with bodies like the GJEPC or the World Gold Council. Ironically, none of the courses imparted by most of the institutes are recognized at university level. Experts believe that if there is recognition at the university level it would give an impetus to the industry as a whole. %% Col. S.K. Arora says, “There is no kind of practical training available matching the university standard. The area which is lacking is the training given to students. They do not get recognition in the form of degree. The three year course of jewellery designing and manufacturing technology of our institute is recognised by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. However when our students seek to pursue higher education whether in India or abroad, it is imperative that this education gets recognition at the university level and they are awarded a proper degree. There is an important need to develop such infrastructure in our country so that we can grow.
{{Specific Engineering Qualification Needed :}}$$ He also suggests that there should be an engineering degree specifically for the gems and jewellery industry as currently the industry is running by borrowing engineers from other fields. As the training centres are already equipped with infrastructure, he feels it fit if the university adopts or recognises the institutes instead of trying to set up their own departments. The university can have control, through an expert committee comprising people from the industry and faculty members to evaluate the syllabus. %% {{Awareness of Career Among Masses :}}$$ With India Inc. going global and the customer becoming more fashion conscious, there is a good demand for jewellery designers in the country. According to Archana Surana, “The jewellery industry is definitely dependent on the designers. Once upon a time, importers called for their designs from the Western countries. Nevertheless, as hiring designers from the western countries has become expensive, these importers are relying on Indian companies to have inputs for design. There is a huge potential for designers.” She adds, “Jewellery is no longer a possession or treasure you have. It is as if you need to gear yourself with your existing garment. It is accessorizing and it is a style statement you have to have.” %% {{Good Pay Masters Needed :}}$$ Thanks to the Indian cinema and television, many aspire to become jewellery designers in the two and three tier cities. Today, jewellery designing remains one of the most popular courses in India. However, are the local jewellers optimising on this breed of skilled designers in their area? {{Devinder Layal, Head of the Dept. Jasani Department of Jewellery Design & Manufacture, SNDT University}}, says, “There is design awareness in every city for jewellery along with fashion. However, sadly the jeweller is not able to realise the importance of qualified professional and still believe in keeping unskilled/untrained workers at less wages. If the industry has to grow it has to pay a good remuneration to the skilled staff.” %% But who are the people who throng the institutes? How much of media promotion has been done? Nitin Bardia says, “The awareness is not sufficient. It needs to improve. The jewellery institutes are using the medium for B2B marketing which is good in terms of placements. But they also have to advertise in the local media which reaches the masses. This should be done in order to take government help to promote themselves. Until now the jewellery industry was tightly held. So far it has been the people in the business or from the business go and learn all the courses. Hardly five percent of people from outside the industry come. I think the awareness needs to be increased. The prospects need to be told. People think that one becomes only a designer after learning designing. But they need to be made aware that there are other positions also for getting placed.”
{{Need Increasing :}}$$ He also adds that the need for jewellery professionals is increasing day by day as there is a shortage of two lakh professionally trained staff in terms of jewellery designers, and retail sales executives. As the students are trained in a specialised course, the options to join either a corporate or a jewellery specific industry is wide open to them. %% {{Government’s Role :}}$$ Most of the experts believe that the education ministry can play a vital role in terms of the infrastructure as well as remuneration provided to the faculty members in the institutes. The government can provide areas at suitable locations to set up the institutes. %% {{2009 Aftermath :}}$$ While the industry is recovering from last year’s recession, the question arises: is there a need to start new courses? Roland Lorie says, “When times are difficult, we usually see a major increase in number of students. We think the reasons are that professionals realise that in order to be able to convince reluctant consumers to buy, they need a maximum of knowledge in order to feel 100 percent confident themselves and during recession they have more time. We also see many people that want to change these professional direction and are interested in this field. Recession gives you the time to slow down, think, educate and accordingly move on with your career or work.”%% {{EPILOGUE}}%% {{Young India Needs Quality Education :}}$$ While the industry feels the need to open more training centres in the country, other issues in terms of infrastructure, affiliation and awareness of the gems & jewellery industry as a career option have been overlooked. It is time that the gems and jewellery trade, institutions and the government work hand in hand to meet the challenges of a continuously evolving industry. As Manoj Singhania says, “India is a young nation where more than 30 per cent of the people are of 10 to 24 years of age and are actively looking for quality education in various sectors. India’s emphasis on quality education has made it an intellectually powerful country and the gems and jewellery industry needs to ensure its ranks remain filled with trained, enthusiastic and impactful professionals.”

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