new delhi the indira gandhi national open universityignou has started a certificate programme in fashion design the fashion design certificate course has been started by ignou under its vocational education and training the programme has been designed to train the students for working in the indian apparel industry the main drawback of the programme is its medium of learning as the programme will taught only in english however the ignou may launch the programme in other indian languages including hindi minimum duration six monthsmaximum duration two yearscourse fee rs naminimum age no bar maximum age no bar indian apparel industry is a labour intensive industry offering employment to approximately over 45 million people directly and 60 million people indirectly ibef 2017 india enjoys comparative advantage in this industry due to i abundant supply of labour and ii relatively low cost of labour an official statement said the programme will cater the needs of those who aspire to make their careers as assistants designers in the retail or export sectors or want to become entrepreneurs or would like to update their existing knowledge and specifically in pattern making and sewing the programme seeks to develop the basic knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of fashion design understanding of the fashion industry in india and across the globe impart fundamental knowledge of textiles impart skills in digital technology in cad develop knowledge and understanding of pattern making skills and sewing techniques and develop entrepreneurship and communication skills