As the textiles industry becomes increasingly international, one common factor uniting the more developed and developing markets is the need for a more skilled workforce.

That is the view of David Kelly of Canadian-based organisation Textiles Human Resources Council.

"For decades, it was technological developments that gave companies the only advantage," he said. "This is no longer the case. Now that many companies from around the world can buy technology, skills development becomes a key competitive advantage."

Offering on-line training modules in connection with Harvard Business School Publishing in the US, Mr. Kelly estimates the Council's biggest customer base is in India.

Clients include textile manufacturers, educational institutions, suppliers and retailers. On-line training offers several advantages over more conventional methods, according to Mr Kelly.

"It is cheaper. Unlike classroom based training, the more employees you have involved in on-line training, the cheaper it becomes.

"It also allows for constant updating. There has been a problem with educational institutions not evolving their training and the textile industry is progressing so fast that typically they were not keeping up. Webbased training allows for constant change. Finally, it allows for flexibility.

"Textile mills are operating 24 hours a day seven days a week. With conventional training if your shift wasn’t from nine until five you tended to miss it."

Modules offered by the organisation include basic introductions to different areas of the textiles industry as well as training in technical skills required for machinery maintenance and operation and business skills.

Also involved in on-line and CDROM training is Dr Simon Harlock, textiles and apparel development manager of Media Innovations, a University of Leeds, UK spin-out company.

Dr Harlock has been involved in on-line training for more than a decade, with the method first being offered to Leeds University undergraduate students in the mid to late 1990s.

The range of courses has expanded greatly since then and modules are available in several different languages.

"We are producing new modules including carpets, hosiery and dyeing and finishing. We are also working on a suite of five modules on technical textiles including links to relevant websites for up to date information," explained Dr Harlock.