Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15
By Matanat Nasibova – Trend:
The most serious problem in Azerbaijan’s textile sector is the lack of qualified personnel in the clothing industry, Mehriban Akhundova, head of the Textile Producers and Exporters Association of Azerbaijan and director of Gilan Textile Park company, told Trend.
Akhundova said that this impedes the sealing of profitable deals for joint tailoring with foreign partners.
"For example, we previously considered signing contracts with manufacturers of textile products in Latvia and garment factories operating in Azerbaijan. A large-scale work was carried out in this regard for studying the capabilities of garment factories in Ganja, Yevlakh, Baku, and Lankaran. We planned to implement joint projects on sewing underwear," she said.
However, as noted by Akhundova, research and analysis conducted by experts in this field showed that none of the garment factories in Azerbaijan met the international quality standards in terms of production levels.
"I believe that the main reason for this disappointing circumstance is a lack of qualified specialists in the clothing industry. It is a serious problem for the country that needs to be addressed resolutely. Meanwhile, the seamstress profession is one of the most demanded, with many Azerbaijani factories and studios busy searching for professionals in this field. As a matter of fact, most professional seamstresses already have a client base; they generally sew at home and make big profits from this business. Therefore, they do not wish to work in production and prefer self-employment," Akhundova explained.
Akhundova believes that, in order to eliminate the shortage of competent specialists in the clothing industry and in the textile industry as a whole, it is necessary to open specialized schools and train personnel in other specialized educational institutions.
The Textile Producers and Exporters Association was founded to support the development of this sector in Azerbaijan. The initiative for establishing this organization was put forward by entrepreneurs involved in the textile sector.
In general, such industry associations serve to improve the industry and establish links between the state and the private sector.