Profile

The Inception

The ARCH Academy of Design was set up in the year 2000 under the management of the Arch Educational Society to impart specialized and industrially relevant global education in Design.

The institution has developed as a center of excellence in learning and innovation, and over the last decade, has trained more than 3000 professionals and entrepreneurs from across the country while having a strong international representation, with students from several countries like Sweden, Spain, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, the USA, Nepal, Iran, Canada Korea, Japan, and Dubai etc.

The Academy offers Undergraduate & Postgraduate courses in Fashion Design, Textile Design, Jewelry Design, Interior Design, Design Management and Design Communication as well as Diploma & Certificate programs in Craft & Accessory Design, Visual Merchandising & Gemology.

Affiliated to the University of Rajasthan, ARCH is an authorized study centre of the Punjab Technical University and is the only authorized Program Study Centre in North & Central India of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for a Certificate Course in Jewelry Design.

Experienced faculties are actively involved in course development which ensures that students are in touch with current thinking and the latest developments in Design and relevant technologies. The regular visits of National & International faculties and Industry professionals ensure that students are kept abreast of the changing dynamics of industry demands and requirements.

An Exploration

ARCH conducts an AIEED –(All India Entrance Examination for Design), for admission to its various Undergraduate and Post Graduate courses.

In January 2011 the ARCH team constructed & conducted the first Online Entrance Examination for Design in India successfully. With interactive components at its core & a deliberate random selection of questions from a specially formed question bank, this Online Exam was designed to facilitate students across the globe to appear for the exam using their personal computers or laptops with a choice of time slots on any of many given exam dates.

A Social Affirmation

As a socially responsible Design academy ARCH offers Skills Upgradation Programs for artisans and the underprivileged under the HRD Scheme of the Development Commissioner Handicrafts (DCH), Ministry of Textiles (Govt. of India) in Fashion Accessories. ARCH also conducts several skill based Entrepreneurship development programs sponsored by a number of Central and State Government institutions like Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) , Govt. of India, Department of Science and Technology(DST) Govt. of India, Rural Non-Farm Development Agency (RUDA), Rajasthan Mission on Livelihood (RMOL) etc.

Design Enterprise

This engagement of ARCH in design projects has progressed towards consultancy and concept development for industry through its Design and Development Project Consultancy cell which extends to the turn key implementation of projects in the areas of Visual Merchandising, Exhibition Design, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Design and Development of products and prototypes in Apparel, Textiles, Crafts and Accessories, Furniture etc.

ARCH is empanelled with the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) to conduct the DESIGN CLINIC SCHEME for the Jewelry Cluster in Jaipur. Through the JJADE project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ARCH is also contributing to the development of Fair Trade Practices and Value Chain addition in the Jewelry Industry with important contributions to the upgradation of skills of jewelry artisans.

International Collaborations

ARCH has received several International Grants for research towards curriculum development including Faculty exchange programs supporting knowledge dissemination and evolution of innovative industry relevant pedagogy.

The Cardonald College, Glasgow and the ARCH Academy of Design have received funding from the British Council, Scotland to initiate new self-sustainable partnerships under the Scotland- Jaipur Partnership Development Fund under the head of “Creative Industries”. Presently, both colleges are actively involved in the development of links in knowledge sharing and the development of common curriculum areas and course content within Fashion, Textile & Jewelry Design.

To build strategic alliances and partnerships with educational institutions in the UK, ARCH in partnership with Doncaster College has received funding for the Staff Exchange Program and skill transfer between the two institutions under the Prime Ministers Initiative for International Education (PMI2) of the British Council.

With one successful bi- directional exchange already completed, and a second round under way, ARCH is actively engaged with the Textila Gymnasiet in Stockholm, Sweden for student Exchange Programs over the next three years.

Club Interactions

The Academy has memberships and/or alliances with the Rotaract Club, Red Ribbon Club, YUVA Unstoppable, CII, TIE, FICCI-FLO and AIESEC. Several business essentials required for a successful career, including communication and soft skills management are incorporated within the many programs and forums facilitated through such collaborations.

A Summary

Supported by the vitality of the vocational and professional training programs in the field of design and the consequent high success ratio in the gainful employment of ARCH alumni, the Academy continually endeavors to build and develop more and more design sensitized collaborations with industry and other educational institutions.