'Retail sector providing lucrative avenues to design graduates'

New Delhi, July 19 (UNI) Employment opportunities for design graduates today are not limited to the fashion and the textile sector and the retail sector offers them lucrative avenues that are of global and challenging nature, secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) Ajay Dua said.

''While the organised retail sector will continue to grow at 22-25 per cent per annum for the next two to three decades, ''fashion graduates will need to innovate to gain competitive advantage in modern retail formats,''Mr Dua said in his address at the 13th convocation ceremony of the Pearl Academy of fashion here.

''Fashion and design evolve with time and the countries that have bothered to preserve and develop their traditions and culture and have a sense of history are usually the centres of art and creativity,''Mr Dua said in the convocation address.

On this occasion, Mr Dua presented diplomas to 143 graduating students of three post graduate and undergraduate programmes.

Speaking on the occasion, group director of the Pearl academy A K G Nair said demand of design graduates in the retail and textile industry was growing and will strengthen further in 2006 and 2007.

UNI AR YA DB2013