[TC]²: Planning for the future

[TC]²’s internship program cultivates tomorrow’s apparel industry leaders.

by Roxanna Gilford

From taking apart a sewing machine to conducting time studies on the manufacturing floor, [TC]²’s student interns and faculty fellows learn about the textile and apparel industry from the inside out. Through such an intensive approach, they come to better understand the factors critical to industry competitiveness.

One of the industry’s finest success stories, [TC]²’s faculty fellowship and student internship programs have been training college students and faculty members for a decade. [TC]², a not-for-profit consortium of 200 fiber, textile, sewn products, retail, labor and government organizations, is dedicated to "increasing the long term competitiveness of the U.S. soft goods industry" through demonstration, education and R&D.

Each summer, six educators and eight college students receive hands-on intensive training at [TC]²’s state-of-the-art facility in Cary, N.C., just outside of Raleigh. The American Apparel Manufacturers Association’s (AAMA) Apparel Education Committee selects the interns (rising college juniors and seniors majoring in apparel production) and the fellows (faculty members at various colleges and universities).

Interns and fellows pay nothing: All expenses, from transportation to lodging, are covered, and participants receive a stipend for food and incidentals. Faculty fellowships last five weeks, internships 10 weeks, and they run simultaneously for five weeks. Participants attend seminars, participate in training sessions and take field trips to learn more about current manufacturing and management practices in the apparel industry.

For many of the students, the internship first chance to learn about their future careers on site. "It was a test to see if this was what I wanted to do," says Amy Armbrecht, a 1997 intern. "It was a test I passed."

Subject matter

Both the student interns and the faculty fellows cover a wide range of topics in the classroom. Topics and the time devoted to each can change with each new class, reflecting the feedback from previous classes and advances in technology. [TC]² also customizes the fellowship program based on survey responses from incoming fellows. While subjects may change year to year, one thing remains constant: the intense focus on combining classroom training with hands-on experience.

Topics covered in recent years include the following:

• Agile manufacturing
• Automated planning and scheduling
• Business strategy
• Computer simulation
• Computer-aided pattern design
• Cut-order planning
• Design conceptualization
• Ergonomics
• Facilities planning
• Material utilization
• Methods engineering
• Modular manufacturing
• Numerically controlled cutting
• Pattern development
• Product costing
• Product development
• Quick Response
• Real-time production control
• Seams and stitches
• Sewing
• Sewing industry
• Spreading and cutting
• Strategic quality management
• The textile game
• Time study
• Unit production system basics
• UPS in a team environment

But classroom work is only part of the program. Students and fellows learn by doing in a roll-up-your-sleeves, real-world apparel-manufacturing environment. Participants take apart and reassemble a sewing machine, spread and cut fabric, take apart and analyze a garment, run a modular line, press garments, do time studies and much more. And they do all this working shoulder-to-shoulder with instructors in [TC]²’s National Apparel Technology Center, a demonstration and training facility. The interns and fellows sometimes are joined by others from private industry who are taking advantage of the training opportunities afforded by the state-of-the-art facility.

About the facility

The National Apparel Technology Center is [TC]²’s fully functional, real-time production facility; [TC]² calls it a "factory that teaches." The center reflects [TC]²’s emphasis on the study and use of modern ergonomics, especially in the manufacturing area. The $2 million worth of equipment demonstrates the latest apparel-production techniques, emphasizing Quick Response capabilities and Agile manufacturing techniques as ways to improve industry competitiveness.

The manufacturing floor produces in both modular and unit production systems, and [TC]²’s sewing specialists are cross-trained in both. According to [TC]², the modular and unit production systems eliminate the conventional bundle system, improving turnaround time.

A day in the life

[TC]² stresses to students that this is no summer vacation, but a full-time living and learning experience. They are expected to be available full-time for the duration of the fellowship. While a typical workday runs 8 a.m. — 5 p.m., participants occasionally must arrive early or stay late.

The day begins with a brief organizational meeting designed to communicate the days’ events, upcoming activities and general information.

Class typically starts at around 8:30, unless a field trip is planned. While interns study sewing, the fellows may be deeply involved in time study. Sometimes they all attend the same session: In July, they all participated in classes on ergonomics and modular manufacturing.

The lunch break lasts one hour, providing an opportunity for interns and fellows to compare notes and discuss what they are learning.

A typical afternoon may continue the coursework begun in the morning. In keeping with [TC]²’s interactive focus, instructors pepper their lectures with hands-on applications.

Frequent field trips supplement the in-house experience. Participants visiting Marithe and Francois Girbaud’s corporate offices in Greensboro listened to presentations by merchandising, product development and marketing representatives, and later toured the company’s distribution center.

A trip to Layne Laundry in Greensboro, N.C., gave interns and fellows a chance to learn about the various types of wash-related finishes.

At Champion in Raleigh, participants saw a modular manufacturing operation. The field trip to Assist gave the group a chance to study computer-aided design and pattern-making systems with multi-tasking capabilities in a UNIX environment.

During the trip to Four Seasons Apparel in Greensboro, N.C., interns and fellow conducted time-motion studies on the manufacturing floor.

Special requests aren’t out of the question. The 1995 fellows asked for – and were granted – a trip to Cotton Inc. in Raleigh to observe the company’s research and development facilities and its technical services division.

At the end of the day, participants return to the fully furnished apartments provided as part of their internship or fellowship. Two faculty fellows share an apartment. Students hare typically housed three to a unit.

Such a communal living arrangement provides fresh opportunities for interaction and new learning experiences.

"There’s a lot of social interaction as well as professional interaction," says Melanie Rowland Pittman, [TC]²’s marketing and member relations manager. "And one thing you’ll always hear is that not only does it mature you professionally, but it does socially as well."

Armbrecht agrees. An Iowa State senior this year (she graduates in December), Armbrecht was the youngest in the 1997 internship class, and she calls the communal experience "my strongest area of growth."

Some years, the fellows and the students plan events together. Other years, each group keeps to itself. "It’s pretty much up to the individual group and how much interaction they like, explains Dr. Martha Jenkins of Western Kentucky University, a 1995 fellow. Our group wanted more interaction [with the interns]. Some groups want to keep segregated."

For faculty members, homework assignments takes an hour or two at most, so their evenings are generally free (although they must complete some assigned reading in addition to other homework).

"The majority of the time, we had some homework assignment – it might be problems, it might be definitions we had do. If I wasn’t doing that, I was reading some of the books they wanted us to read," Jenkins recalls. "It wasn’t extended. You didn’t have to stay up all hours."

Free time was a bit scarcer for the interns. While homework only took up a couple of hours a night, they had to finish three major projects during their 10 weeks. During those final weeks, students spent most of their "free" time completing their projects. The final one was the most comprehensive and time consuming. Armbrecht’s project involved developing ways to improve the pant line for Royal Park uniforms. She and her team members (other interns) worked on the production floor and developed ways to increase productivity.

"The weekend before [it was due], we ate, slept and drank those projects," recalls Armbrecht. But except for those final days, weekends are usually free for everyone, and visitors are welcome, provided they don’t interfere with any of the participant's responsibilities. [TC]² plans occasional weekend activities, including short trips around the Cary area to arts and cultural events, festivals and shopping.

Lifetime benefits

Faculty fellows and student interns end up leaving [TC]² with a board array of tools.

Course material. Participants receive countless handouts, including notebooks for each course, software and other information for future reference. These prove particularly beneficial to the faculty fellows, who leave the program equipped to share their newfound knowledge with students. They receive a variety of teaching materials including posters, special visuals (such as washing stones), heat-transfer paper, AV material and generally, whatever else they request.

Networking opportunities. Interns and fellows meet and learn from fellow participants, [TC]² staff, and business and industry representatives. For the interns, this aspect is critical to their future careers, since internships often lead to jobs. During the internship program, time is set aside for résumé preparation and job interviews.

New technology. Participants are exposed to the latest technology in the industry.

Skill-building. The program fosters problem solving, flexibility, agility, teamwork, future orientation and open communication.

Industry knowledge. Participants develop knowledge, skills and management techniques vital to the apparel industry. This perspective is particularly beneficial for the fellows, who gain a clearer understanding of the skills needed by today’s graduates if they are to succeed in the textile and clothing industry. For Jenkins, these lessons proved to be the most valuable part of the fellowship. She took from it "a better understanding of apparel technology and how we are dependent on that technology to be competitive in a global environment."

How to apply

Fellowship and internship applicants should obtain an application by calling [TC]²’s Maria Muñiz at (919) 380-2167. And forward it, with two letters of recommendation, to the selection committee, a subcommittee of the AAMA’s apparel education committee. For the following summer, fellow applications are due Nov. 1. and internship applications must be submitted by the end of February. The AAMA selects the interns during the early spring; fellows are notified in December.

Why it matters

Since her experience in 1995, Dr. Jenkins has become an enthusiastic proponent of [TC]²’s endeavors. "From the academic standpoint, it creates a partnership with industry, which we have not had in the past," she says. "This gives us an avenue to work with that relationship."

Faculty fellows return to their schools better able to design courses that address the real-life challenges of the textile and clothing industry. Student interns receive the training necessary to make them a valuable part of an increasingly demanding industry.

Armbrecht, who spent this summer working at another internship at Tanner Company in Rutherford NC, isn’t too worried about her career prospects. Without giving anything away, she acknowledges that she has quite a few options and her participation in [TC]² ‘s internship program played a big role. Industry employers "know what kind of program this is," she says. So does she: "It’s a fabulous experience."

(Note: Apparel Industry Magazine, supports the [TC]² internship program with the proceeds of its All Star Awards Scholarship Fund.)

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