Snapshot

Textile education started initially at informal education as practical training, and later on developed into formal education at certificate and diploma levels, and thereafter into degree-level education and finally it has gone up to postgraduate and Ph.D degree levels in some institute. Textile education in India at “degree level’ started for the first time in 1946. Today we have a large number of institutes awarding degree and diploma level textile education. The institutes are divided into two distinct classes, viz. the degree level institutes (Engineering colleges) and diploma-level institutes (Polytechnics).

• There are 36 engineering colleges, institutes, university departments, 58 polytechnics and 16 NIFTs (National institute of fashion technology) in the country.
• The engineering colleges are offering degree level education in textiles, awarding graduation degree in technical education (B.Tech, B.E., B.Text. etc.), under technical education system of the country.
• Some of these institutions offer post-graduate degrees also under the name M.Tech., M.E., M.Text. etc. There are various colleges which offer degree and diploma level education in the same institute viz. VJTI Mumbai, M.S. University of Baroda, ITT Choudwar, DKTE Institute, Ichalkaranji, etc.

There are eight Textile Research Associations (TRAs) receiving financial support from the Ministry of Textiles. These are Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (Atira), Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA), South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), Synthetic & Art Silk Mills' Research Association (SASMIRA), Man-Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA), Indian Jute Industries' Research Association (IJIRA) and Wool Research Association (WRA).