Just like Fashion and Jewelry designing are the hot things today, footwear designing is too catching on. Every one nowadays wants to look smart from top to bottom and is getting hooked on to designer wear, not only the branded stuff.The youth is breaking many barriers and taking on new courses. In the olden times, for many there were only two kinds of shoes – one the leather shoes for formal wear and the other rubber shoes for informal wear. In the present day world, shoes are made from leather, plastic, canvas, jute and even cloth. In short, we have footwear to suit our needs, comfort and pocket. With nearly 10 lakh people working in the footwear industry, there is room for many others to take the plunge. The Central Footwear Training Institute at Agra would be conducting a written test on June 26, 2011 for admitting students into its twoyear full time diploma course in Footwear Manufacture and design. This course is affiliated to Textile Institute & Leicester College, UK, and students in the age group of 17-25, who have passed their Plus two, can appear for the test.
Five years relaxation will be given in case of SC / ST candidates and three years in case of OBC. If you have missed applying for the CFTI programme, there is no need to worry. There are many other Footwear Design & Technology courses in the country and one can choose from these courses according to one’s requirement and educational qualification.
Some of the courses are Management programme in Footwear Technology, Masters Programme in Footwear Design, Higher Diploma course in Footwear Technology, Diploma course in Footwear Designing and short-term courses in Footwear, leather garments or Leather Goods.
Students who have successfully passed their Class XII can take admission in certificate courses in Footwear design & technology. A graduate in any stream or diploma holder in leather, engineering or Footwear technology can pursue higher diploma course in footwear technology. Footwear Manufacturing Company But it is believed that many institutes take in candidates after a written test, group discussion and personal interview. An all- India merit list is prepared on the basis of the results of the written test and short- listed candidates are called for Group Discussion (GD) and personal interview. GD and written test are conducted in English and a candidate is tested in general maths, general science, English and general awareness. A job for footwear professionals is available with well-known companies like Reebok, Adidas,Nike, Bata, Liberty, Lakhani, Tata, Mirza, Bawa, Drish, Lee Cooper, etc. The important footwear manufacturing centers are located in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Kanpur, Jalandhar, Agra and Delhi. One can also start an independent venture. Earnings: After finishing your course join a company and your starting salary can vary. The initial take home could be around Rs. 10,000- 12,000 per month. Insiders say that global brands pay higher salaries ranging between Rs. 15,000-20,000 per month. If you start out on your own, earnings depend upon the nature of work. Experts say that an entrepreneur in this field can earn a crore of rupees per annum depending upon the business size. Following is the list of institutes offering courses in footwear:
• Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), Noida and Chennai
• The Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai
• Central Footwear Training Centre (CFTC), Chennai
• The Government Leather Institute, Agra
• Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur
• National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi and Gandhinagar
• AVI School of Fashion & Shoe Technology,Chandigarh
• College of Leather Technology, Calcutta
• Institute of Government Leather Working School, Mumbai
• National Small Industries Corporation Ltd., Chennai.
• The Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra
• MSME Technology Development Centre, Chennai
• College of leather technology, Kanpur