It is the best time to immerse yourself in the creative field of choice: Nandita Abraham
Prof. Nandita Abraham is the president of Pearl Academy, and has over 25 years of dynamic experience across corporates and academia. She is on the FICCI Higher Education Committee, Executive Committee of IFFTI and has been a member of the CII National Committee of Design. In an interview she talks about the institution and more.
How are careers in creative industries looking like in the post-Covid world?
At the macro level and from a long-term perspective, creative industries continue to flourish and have utilised the pandemic to experiment, innovate and disrupt with the help of technology. There have been various factors at play that are shaping the talent demand and these factors are picking up momentum. As per the 2021 report by KPMG (India), Pearl Academy, FICCI and FDCI titled ‘Future of Jobs in Design, Fashion and Contemporary Media’ trends like experiential design, slow and sustainable fashion, increase in homegrown regional content and virtual event platforms are defining the knowledge and new skill sets required in the creative workforce. The report has analysed 160 emerging job roles in core and allied creative sectors. So, one can imagine the abundance of avenues. I would say this is the best time to immerse yourself in the creative field of choice, understand how technology can take it to the next level and passionately follow your instincts.
Creative industries continue to flourish and have to utilised the pandemic and experiment, innovate of disrupt with the help technology.
, NANDITA ABRAHAM President, Pearl Academy
How did Pearl Academy ensure uninterrupted learning for its students?
Digitised curriculum, trained faculty in virtual teaching and use of online learning management tools much before the pandemic helped us in ensuring uninterrupted learning. We focused more on developing innovative methods of teachingbe it Instagram based modules or helping students set up their home studios for practical lessons as they were not able to use labs and studios in the campus. We sent close to 2500 customised home studio kits depending on the curriculum requirement. A showcase of projects, designs and creative work is crucial for the students. We made the best of digital and phygital platforms available to them such as FDCI’s India Fashion Week, I-View Film Festival 2020, Arts Thread and more.
Being an academic institute, how does collaboration within and outside of the academia help?
It is only through outcomebased collaborations and deliberations that academic institutes like us can develop new ways of teaching, revamp and update curriculums and provide prospects to our students to be the best in their chosen field. In fact, Pearl Academy is leading the India chapter of IFFTI by taking the initiative of hosting its 2021 annual conference around ‘Fashioning Resurgence’. IFFTI is the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes and has 61 institutes like London College of Fashion, UK; FIT New York; Amsterdam University of Applied; BUNKA, Japan and IFM, France from 28 countries including Pearl Academy. We are proud to put India on the global academic map of fashion and design.