Textile and Apparel Merchandising program 

1. Overview of the program 

• B.Sc.in Textile and apparel merchandising 
• The first commenced in 2012/13 G.C. or 2005 E.C. 
• Duration-4 years
•  Short-code of the program: TAM
•  Value statement of the program: “We are the heart of the fashionable apparel business”
•  Contact person:  Eyob Minbale 

                                  Eyomin23@gmail.com/Eyob.Minbale@bdu.edu.et

1. Silent feature of the department  

3. About the program

• The program has been designed to produce merchandisers well-grounded in global merchandising issues, strategies, and policies required by the textile and apparel industry. 
• The aim of starting this program is to overcome the traditional practices and uncompetitive of the Ethiopian textile and garment industries in world market share by creating qualified and creative manpower for apparel business & marketing activity to the Ethiopian T & apparel industry.
• Still, now there is no textile and apparel merchandising curriculum at the degree level in the country as well as in East Africa as a whole. 
• In the present scenario, there is a great demand for a professional equipped with knowledge and skills in merchandising. This has been ascertained by the need assessment carried out by the institute. 
• The program is structured to challenge and motivate students in all aspects of the textile and apparel merchandising sector, including core Textile and Apparel Merchandising modules;
• Merchandising
• Marketing
• Accounting
• International Business Management
• Textile, and apparel production
• Computer application in merchandising and so on.

The textile and apparel merchandising program provides broad-based education and training in textile and apparel marketing; to enable graduates to be creative, adaptable, and problem solvers in the challenges of the professions in the rapidly changing environment that exists in the globe. Textile and apparel Merchandising mediate the marketing and production departments of the textile and apparel industries.

4. The objectives of the program

• To produce competent textile and apparel merchandisers who can work as display designers, marketers, business managers, and entrepreneurs in the textile and apparel sectors;
• To produce capable textile and apparel merchandisers who can undertake trend analysis, market forecasting, and adapt to a rapidly changing technical environment.
• To produce competent professionals capable of working in research institutions, wholesalers, retailers, Universities, & others where knowledge of textile and apparel merchandising is required. 
• To produce skilled manpower in product development & order negotiation, sampling, costing, promotion activities, displays, sale evaluation, etc. 
• To produce competent market researchers in the field of textile and apparel value chain.

5. Requirements for Joining the Program

Program requirements match those needed for admission to Bahir Dar University, and include the University's general education requirements. Students interested in the department are accepted through an entrance exam. Freshman students joined the institute will get an orientation about the department. They will register for an entrance exam. Based on the student's interests and the department's set quota enrollment will be done.

6. Careers in Textiles and Apparel Merchandising

7. Textile and apparel merchandisers’ responsibility

The tasks, that professional Textile and apparel merchandisers undertake, are too many to list them all. Some of the typical tasks the professionals are expected to deal with are:

• Maintain a relationship within and between buyer, seller, supplier, and consumer
• Internal & external communication and coordination,
• Develop a cohesive marketing strategy for the organization
• Supervise the firm’s promotional activities, including advertising, design, identity, public/media relations, etc.
• Travel nationally and internationally to stay current on global fashion trends
• Stay up-to-date on costing, sourcing, and buying fabrics and trims
• Negotiations
• Develop and strengthen partnerships with national/international print and non-print media, local event coordinators, community movers and shakers
• Act as liaison between account representatives, buying offices, and store managers
• Compile customer profiles, product requests, retail sales, and merchandise needed to establish the ideal product assortment within the store
• Create merchandising strategies to ensure product sell-thru
• Exhibit strong interpersonal skills that reflect confidence
• Service the customer by pre-selecting merchandise for a variety of clients
• Maintain visual presentation of the showroom

8. Staff profiles in textile and apparel merchandising 

Currently, under the textile and apparel merchandising program, there are 12 teaching staff. The details of these staff members with their qualifications are given below in the following tables. In the future, the program has a plan to increase the number of staff and correspondingly their qualification level.

Department Staff profiles:

Contact person:

  Eyob Minbale [Lecturer]

  Head of Textile and Apparel Merchandising Program

  Ethiopia Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, Bahir Dar University.

  Mobile: +251920246626

Email: eyomin23@gmail.com or Eyob.Minbale@bdu.edu.et

 P.O.Box: 1037