Today, a majority of interior designing institutes offer specializations in the field of design as various verticals, such as interiors with styling, furniture and product design, accessories and accent detailing and many more. With these options in the same, the student get to specialize in their field of interest apart from getting trained in the overall spectrum of the syllabus which the institute just brushes through due to the paucity of time.
The present day schools of design should be aware of the changing trends, styles, products, and approach to a project that professional offices choose. The first priority should be given on training the students on how to conceive a project, moving on to its design and then finally to the implementation and execution. After, creating the perfect foundation in the students, these institutions should focus on guiding the students regarding the market trends, principles and the approaches that will drive their career in the field for which the industry professionals will come of use.
Now, most of the institutes are in the right track as they insist their students to get interned with the professional office. Through this move, students not only learn how projects are handled but also about the timelines that need to be respected so as to reflect the professionalism satisfying the clients. As they work with these professional platforms, they get exposed to new materials, sites, costing BOQs and so on which are not taught in college in detail. So, I believe that for a perfect training, the six month training period with the work environment is a must as it provide a complete exposure regarding the workspace by the time they pass out, creating a complete transformation from a student to a professional.
The present day schools of design should be aware of the changing trends, styles, products, and approach to a project that professional offices choose.
Fresh graduates should not look for a salary package, but for a professional who can teach them all that is there to learn about the trade. Students should be given the opportunity to voice out their opinions and think independently so that they can contribute well to the design of the project given to them. Some bit of hand-holding is required, but thereafter no spoon feeding should be done and they should be treated as professionals. They should work for an organization that handles different types of projects as the other limits them to a prototype style putting a brake to their creativity.
The internships that cover a period of four to six months with a focus on detailing in drawings and assignments that adds to the credentials of a designer. Among the students who intern with me, I find a very few who are having an in-depth idea regarding the industry and its requirements and the soul reason is the molding within the institute. I feel that this must be a core area, which still needs to be worked upon by colleges to improve the quality of training. (As Told to Riya Das)
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