Specialty Fabrics Review May 2023 - 15

Master's degree program in apparel
management established in Bangladesh
n an effort to elevate more women to management
roles in Bangladesh's apparel industry, the Asian
University for Women (AUW) and the Hongkong
and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. (HSBC) have
teamed up to launch the HSBC-AUW School of
Apparel and Retail Management. Students in the
one-year master of science program will study supply
chain management, brand management, fashion,
merchandising, and managing occupational health
and safety issues.
The inaugural year of the program at the
independent liberal arts and sciences university
will admit 50 students in 13 targeted courses
starting in August. Most of the women entering the
inaugural class of the apparel management master's
degree program have earned bachelor's degrees in
economics, but any bachelor's degree would qualify.
Students begin the program with a two-week
I
industry immersion. Following their 10 months of
academic work, they then have a two-month internship,
giving them hands-on experience and putting the
academic parts of the program to direct use.
" Today, the apparel industry in Bangladesh needs
a homegrown talent pool, " says Rubana Huq, vice
chancellor of AUW.
The apparel industry is the country's largest
industry, accounting for more than 80% of Bangladesh's
total export revenue. It employs more than 4 million
people, of which about two-thirds are women.
" The global apparel industry is evolving rapidly
alongside emerging technologies, changing
consumption patterns and an increasing focus on
sustainability. We are proud to partner with the Asian
University for Women to launch the HSBC-AUW
School of Apparel and the master's program, " says
Amanda Murphy, head of commercial banking, South
and Southeast Asia, for HSBC.
AUW, in Chittagong, was chartered in 2005 to
increase opportunities for women, particularly firstgeneration
college students and those whose beliefs
do not allow young women to live away from home
in coed schools. The university opened to its first
students in 2008, and construction is underway on
its own campus. Currently the school operates out of
temporary facilities. The construction project's goals
include equal pay for women on the project and
women making up half of the workforce.
Majors include bioinformatics; economics;
environmental sciences; politics, philosophy, and
economics; and public health. There are also two
additional one-year course tracks preparing students
for the school's undergraduate programs, which
are all taught in English. The school has a master's
degree program in education as well.
AUW recruited students from
ready-made garment factories
in 2018 as a part of a program
called Pathways for Promise,
a scholarship program that
supports the school's mission
to uplift women, especially firstgeneration
college students.
Photo: AUW
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Specialty Fabrics Review May 2023

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