Visions of A Great Career
20 January 2009
Working at the height of fashion and at the forefront of the retail world, a visual merchandising qualification can take you places - whether a local retail outlet, exclusive boutique or one of the country's largest retailers.
Combining design, fashion and a flair for innovation, visual merchandising is fast becoming a creative art-form in its own right.
A newly announced partnership between Myer and Kangan Batman TAFE is bringing the craft into the spotlight in 2009 as the first Diploma of Visual Merchandising gets underway in the coming months.
Kangan Batman TAFE's Centre of Fashion manager Odile Higgins said the partnership signaled a new era in the delivery of retail training at the institute's Richmond campus.
"There's a lot of excitement about this course already, not only because it links Kangan Batman TAFE with one of the country's leading retailers, but also because it provides our students with an innovative, stimulating learning experience," Odile said.
"Along with job options in the retail visual merchandising field, this qualification can also lead to employment in a wide range of creative roles such as a photographic stylist or an exhibition display designer.
"When the first course gets underway this year, our students will have access to a state-of-the-art training facility, valuable in-store training experience and be given the opportunity to explore their creative talents.
"It's a wonderfully artistic opportunity. If you can visualise a creative look, take an idea from concept to reality and have a real passion for the craft, then this course is most definitely for you."
The Myer/Kangan Batman TAFE partnership will see the 18-month course delivered at the institute's Richmond campus where the $4.6 million Federal funded Centre of Fashion was launched last May.
Along with a comprehensive suite of theoretical modules including design skills, image branding and market segments, course participants will also undertake extensive in-store training with Myer on real projects to gain industry-relevant knowledge.
With 65 stores across Australia and a history dating back well over 100 years, Myer remains one of the most recognised brands throughout the country, with a particular focus on retail and visual merchandising expertise.
Myer's National Visual Merchandising Manger said the partnership will deliver a course that reflects the important link between industry and the education sector.
"By linking with Kangan Batman TAFE we're strengthening the foundation for a strong retail sector by ensuring the availability of a skilled workforce well into the future.
"In order to grow and succeed as any sort of company - whether small or large - it's essential that specific industry needs can be met while providing a stimulating and rewarding career option. This new partnership really reflects this idea of industry and training working hand-in-hand to find workable solutions."
For more information about the Diploma of Visual Merchandising, phone Dianne Snibson on (03) 9425 5764 or Maria Fillis on (03) 9425 5767.
