There is a growing number of high-value jobs being offered in a $1.2 trillion global industry that employs 1.9 million people in the United States, in which Pierce College does not offer classes.These high-paying jobs are in the fashion industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fashion industry continues to boom, with more than $250 billion spent annually on fashion in the U.S.
In the past decade, there has been a 50 percent increase in fashion designers, who earn an average of $73,600 annually.
The market increase has paved the way for manufacturing jobs in the industry such as, marketing research analysts and specialist, computer professionals and apparel pattern makers, who all make over $50,000 annually.
Los Angeles and New York have the largest fashion market, with over two-thirds of designers living there. California employs the most at 4,480, according to bls.gov. Nearly two in 10 manufacturing firms in Los Angeles are in the fashion business.
With such a lucrative market right here, why does Pierce not have a fashion program? With construction of the new classrooms set to be finished in the summer, it would be ideal to add a fashion class in the newly vacant classrooms.
A strong way of incorporating a fashion program would be to start out with a minimal amount of classes like Fashion Design 101 or Fashion Marketing. From there, faculty could observe enrollment in the classes, student satisfaction and could pass out surveys to students and ask if they would further pursue this subject.
If they receive positive results, this could allow a fashion program to expand, making the college more appealing to aspiring fashionista’s and increase enrollment that has decreased this semester. Pierce could also experiment and have the classes in the summer or winter.
Fashion, would be part of the Arts Department. A way for Pierce to set up a class would be to remove one of the lower enrolled art classes and replace it with fashion.
The largest expense in adding a fashion design class would be the sewing machines. Students would be responsible for buying the necessary equipment needed, like in art classes. Students would just need the proper guidance to expand to an advanced design class.
With a fashion program becoming advanced, Pierce could have campus events such as a fashion show in The Theatre. Students could also sell their clothing designs at an open house campus event or at the Vintage Market.
Pierce could experiment and have the classes in summer and winter.
There are an array of high-paying jobs within the fashion industry that an expanded fashion program would help students discover including communication, graphic designing, marketing and international business.
For top fashion schools in Los Angeles, such as Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), in-state tuition rates are $28,965, while total tuition at Pierce is $2,436. Before making an expensive commitment to a fashion institution, it would be prudent to experiment and take basic-level fashion classes at Pierce to see if the subject is something a student wants to pursue.
More than 200 schools in the U.S. offer fashion-related programs, according to fashion-schools.org. Currently, two out of nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District have a fashion program, Mission College and L.A. Trade-Tech College. Let’s add Pierce College to that list.