SDC education is a great example of learning at work – but don’t just take our word for it 

It’s the UK’s national Learning at Work Week from 15 to 21 May so what better time to outline the virtues of the SDC’s very own online courses? 

Led by Campaign for Learning, this event aims to highlight what’s available across multiple sectors – motivating employers to create opportunities, and empowering employees to take them up! 

This is a cause close to the heart of the SDC, as an educational charity dedicated to enhancing the skills and knowledge of the global coloration community. 

This is an important topic for the future of the international dyeing sector, as our recent research revealed 78% of coloration specialists assert that on-the-job education is more important than ever. 

The SDC is the go-to organisation to provide such education, offering the Foundation Textile Coloration Certificate and Textile Coloration Certificate (FTCC/TCC) and the honours degree equivalent Associateship of the SDC (ASDC) leading to Chartered Colourist (CCol) status. 

In addition, we facilitate a range of short courses – applicable for design and creative professionals as well as technical personnel.  

The SDC has a well-established track record of virtual learning, set up long before the pandemic. All programmes are studied online, offering maximum flexibility for learners who are usually working full time and represent excellent value for money.  

For example, ASDC, our most expensive qualification, costs only £12,000 in total, a fraction of the circa £28,000 course fees associated with a three-year university degree. 

Financial assistance is available for some courses, too. The Worshipful Company of Dyers provides help with funding for FTCC/TCC candidates to UK companies, covering up to 60% of fees through the Future Dyers’ Fund. 

And the SDC can offer bursaries both to our own students facing hardships, and for students of colour subjects in education at institutions around the world, to fund particular projects or specialist equipment. 

Participants making their way through our online courses – and forming peer groups with likeminded technical specialists from their own and other countries – find they are more knowledgeable at work, and better able to devise, or take on, new ways of doing things. 

An underpinning of technical theory allows for greater agility in the dyehouse, laboratory or printworks – including the confidence to avert problems and innovate – above and beyond experience gained on the shop floor alone. 

But don’t just take our word for it. Many current and former students provide positive feedback about their learning experience with the SDC. 

They include recent ASDC graduate, Seth Clay, production manager at Wooltex in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.  

Earning while learning benefited both himself and his employer. Seth said: “I have been able to secure a degree-equivalent qualification, with no student loans, and while earning from full time employment. It has allowed me to do things I wouldn’t have, if I had gone down the university route.” 

Dyehouse apprentice Gemma Rudd, who works in Production Technical Support for Atkinson Dyeing in Keighley, West Yorkshire, UK, is currently studying for the Textile Coloration Certificate (TCC). 

She said: “Learning online gives me the flexibility to fit lectures around my role. This has allowed me to combine theory with practical learning on the job.  

“I have been able to put my knowledge and learning into practice, resulting in a deeper understanding of my role. It has given me the confidence to work independently, knowing I have the knowledge to overcome any problems that arise.” 

Finally, dyehouse manager Mbiri Tsabola of Kadoma Textiles in Zimbabwe, had this to say about studying for FTCC: “The learning environment is so friendly for one that you can cope with both your study requirements and work demands. 

“I had the practical experience  ​but did not have the theoretical background. I feel better equipped now that I have both of these in place.” 

To sum up, we wholeheartedly agree with Campaign For Learning that ​‘​learning at work​’​ – and indeed ​‘​learning while you’re earning​’​ – is a concept to be celebrated. Here’s to all our years of educational development ahead. 

Take a look at SDC courses available, from short introductions to full, internationally-recognised vocational qualifications.