SS34 STAR EDUCATION FAIR

StarSpecial, SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2009

BECOMING A FASHION
EXPERT
T

HE International Fashion Training

Centres (IFTC) two-year diploma
course is catered for those who
want to pursue fashion as a career.
Designed by a team of fashion
experts, the programme does not
require students to go through a foundation year but allows students to
directly enter a fashion study programme that covers basic, advance, to
professional levels.
The classes have a small student
ratio which encourages personal
attention to each person. This also
allows students to study at their
own pace, and in a stimulating environment.
Students are guided by a dedicated
team of lecturers and instructors
who provide hands-on training,
which lets students and instructors
interact and share knowledge with one
another.
Studying fashion design at IFTC is
not just about cutting, sewing and
design. Its a field for creative talents to
develop and explore a wide range of
items such as accessories, apparels,
shoes, handbags, fashion products, or
ideas that can be channelled into a
business.
The institution provides the latest
fashion software technology, helping
students to create and design their own
fashion items as well as market their
labels.
Annie Wong, principal of IFTC, says
in her 30 years of meeting, counselling
and running a fashion school, she has
discovered many talented students.
IFTC is the place for students to
develop their passion for fashion and
transform it into a successful career.
IFTC has full time courses for school

MASS Communication, Advertising,

Graphic Design, Multimedia,
Broadcasting and Marketing
Communications are just a few of the
many interesting courses students
are keen on pursuing these days. But
how do they decide which course is
right for them?
A group of 25 students chose to
find the answer in the recently held
Exploration Workshop organised by
Institute Advertising Communication
Training (IACT). IACTs Exploration
Workshop is specially designed to
cater to SPM/STPM/UEC school
leavers interested in pursuing their
studies in Advertising,
Communication or Design courses.
Over the three-day workshop, a
field trip to an Audio PostProductions studio was arranged for
participants to gain a better understanding about the broadcasting
industry, which included a sharing
session chaired by the music composer and chief audio engineer of the
post-production company. During the
two-hour session, participants
viewed some of the companys
award-wining projects followed with
a discussion of the latest trend in the
broadcasting industry.

Principal of IFTC, Annie

Wong, receiving the
recognition for Best
Fashion Curriculum in
Malaysia award by The
Brand Laureate, for the
fashion centre.
leavers as well as parttime courses for different
categories and needs,
she says.
IFTCs two-year fashion
programme is packed with
core subjects to develop
an all-round development
in fashion skills and
knowledge from design,
patternmaking, sewing,
couture cutting, draping,
fashion computer, merchandising, marketing,
fashion language, French
language (conversational)
and essential theoretical
subjects.
A study of balance between practical
and theory aspects help nurture the
students ability to design, select the
right fabric, coordinate colours, analyse
fashion trends and market, produce a
finishing decoration and styling on their
own. Through training, IFTC ensures
that students would gain strong skills
as well as the ability to present and
handle the fashion industry with confidence. Its also a priority for diploma
students to pursue their degree in fashion arts in Paris for one academic year.
Every year, IFTC provides scholarship
to Paris with the intention to educate

students with the international forefront and exposures of the fashion

world. A fine example of IFTC students
who received a partial scholarship to
pursue a degree in fashion and have
acclaimed tremendous success as an
internationally recognised fashion star
is Datuk Bernard Chandran.
Last year, IFTC awarded Julia Leong
with a study scholarship in Paris. She
emerged as the winner of the Best
Casual Award at the recent MIFA 2008.
IFTC also gives 10 internal scholarships every year to encourage and
guide young designers to start their
own business as an entrepreneur in a

chosen specialised area guided by

fashion field professionals.
IFTC has been associated with the
Paris American Academy in Paris since
the 1990s. Currently, IFTC is in the
progress of linking with fashion colleges in London, Italy, New York and other
countries. It allows IFTCs diploma and
French degree holders to experience
and study short fashion courses in the
worlds fashion capitals.
IFTC was recently awarded the Top
10 International Fashion Programme by
the Brand Laureate. For details, call
IFTC at 03-2145 9011/12 or email
enquiries@iftc.com.my.

Explore your options

IACT also invited Niki Cheong,
assistant editor of The Star Youth
Desk to give a talk on journalism. In
the one-hour talk, materials such as
featured articles and videos illustrated the job of a reporter. At the end of
the workshop, participants were
given the opportunity to ask questions.
Besides that, IACT also invited
Edmund Chaw Fook Heng, an IACT
graduate who is now the project
manager for Capxion Media to share
his study experiences during his twoand-a-half years at IACT. During the
sharing session, he also gave a preview of his current project
Malaysia Dream Girl, the first online
reality TV show.
Said Sandy Shiek, marketing manager of IACT, In this workshop, we
would like to introduce the holistic
teaching practised by IACT lecturers.
Participants will be exposed to
hands-on activities and gain the
opportunity to meet some industry
professionals.

IACT provides students with a

holistic education, which balances
knowledge, professional skills and
real-life experiences. The strong
support from the industry means
IACT is able to tap into experienced
professionals from the advertising
and marketing communications
industry to form the core of its
teaching faculty.
Lecturers are experts in their
respective fields and bring into the
classroom their vast experience,
skills and insights into one of the
most dynamic industries of the 21st
century.
Founded and endorsed by the
Malaysian Advertisers Association
(MAA) and the Association of
Accredited Advertising Agents
Malaysia (4As), IACT is highly
regarded as a specialist college in
advertising and marketing communications. It has nearly three decades
of experience in education and training. IACT is also accredited by the
International Advertising Association

(IAA), the worldwide organisation

that represents the common interests of advertisers, agencies and the
media.
In addition to Diploma in
Advertising/Marketing
Communications and Diploma in
Mass Communication, IACT also
offers Diploma in Graphic Design,
Diploma in Creative Multimedia and
Diploma in Broadcasting.
Consequently, all IACT diploma graduates are awarded with an additional
Diploma in Marketing
Communications from IAA.
Should they opt to further their
education, diploma holders of IACT
need only spend one to one-and-ahalf year abroad at affiliated
universities to graduate with a
degree.
The next IACT Exploration
Workshop will commence on Jan 15,
16 and 17. For more details, call the
Marketing Department at 03-7729
7451 or e-mail enquiries@iact.edu.my
or log into www.iact.edu.my.