SLITA will soon expand services to South Asian region: Rishad
Having successfully wrapped a three decades’ run, Sri Lanka’s foremost apparel training body is to expand to the South Asian region next.
Meanwhile, for Sri Lanka to sustain its apparel advantage over the longer term, it needs to think beyond its low cost of labour.
“I am pleased to inform that Sri Lanka Institute of Textile and Apparel (SLITA) under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is planning to expand,” said Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, addressing the apparel industry graduation ceremony by SLITA at Nelum Pokuna theatre where more than 500 new SLITA grads received their certificates and awards from him.
Industry leaders such as Chairman of Joint Apparel Associations Forum (JAAF) Sharad Amalean and JAAF Secretary General Tuly Cooray, Ministry of Industry and Commerce’ Additional Secretary Textile Development M.A. Thajudeen, as well as High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka Riaz Hamidullah attended the event.
“With today’s passing out of another 500 diplomates the grand total of SLITA course participants stands at 21600” said Minister Bathiudeen, and added: “As the only government institution engaged in training for apparel and leather sectors SLITA showed several important achievements. In 2017 SLITA performed almost 50000 testings for the first time, trained 5400 persons. These successful diplomates obtained academic and on–the-job training in textile and apparel technology with latest industrial exposure. Today I am also pleased to inform you that SLITA has important plans of expansion. SLITA is planning to expand its services to South Asian region and preparing to establish links and collaborations with prestigious textile and apparel institutions in the region. SLITA is also planning to acquire degree awarding status to award apparel degrees.”
Highlighting apparel sector performance of the first half of 2018 he said,“our apparel exports that picked up in May this year strengthened further in June. The total exports in January-june this year was at US$2.4 billion, up by 5 percent compared to same period in 2017.