The Kerala Institute for Entrepreneurship Development (KIED) will be organizing an industry interaction and brainstorming session on Friday to showcase the artisan’s skills and explore business opportunities at Kalamassery.

Around 200 women artisans undergoing six months of intensive training in textile ornamentation under the Kerala Artisans Development Corporation (KADCO) a welfare organization under the Department of Industries will take part where the artisans will have a chance to display their products to representatives of leading garment manufacturers and sellers at the session.

The State Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty will be the chief guest and Minister for Public Works VK Ebrahim Kunju the special guest at the function.

According to KADCO Managing Director C Abhishek, the goal of the project is to reduce the dependence of Kerala’s textile manufacturing sector on professionals in other States for designing, ornamentation, embroidery and other value additions. The trained women will be able to grow into micro group entrepreneurs capable of supplying products within Kerala and outside.

KADCO training programme for women, which began in March this year in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, has been focusing on garment-making using traditional and contemporary designs indigenous to Kerala.

It is hoping that the industry experts’ assessment of their skills and work will help improve the training programme, open up employment and business opportunities for the trainees.