Introduction

INTRODUCTION:

Carpet weaving is labor-intensive and export-oriented industry involving thousands of craftspeople both men and women and helps them earn their livelihood.This industry has potential for employing rural workforce for generating economic activities. It has strong potential for engaging women folk of rural areas for providing gainful employment opportunity resulting in socio economic growth of the country. Although hand-knotted carpet is Pakistan's traditional craft, in view of changing international trend there is need to upgrade its skill by providing institutional framework in Pakistan. The knot used for carpet manufacturing in Pakistan is Sehna Knot. The carpets made of this knot are not very durable whereas carpets of Turkish Knot Weave are better in texture,more durable and fetch batter price.Therefore,skill development in Turkish knot weave for the benefit of industry is badly needed.The skill of Turkish Knot Weave will fetch better wage rates for weavers. The participants of carpet weaving course will specialize in warping, quality setting, loom mounting, healding and talam writing, talam reading, in addition to learning of Turkish knot weave.

RATIONALE:

The craft of carpet weaving - besides meeting requirements of much needed foreign exchange - has potential to engage less educated, low-income and out-of-school lot at large scale. The skill development is at present taking place in an informal way with people acquiring skill at the work place and very few opportunities for skill development are available for school-age youth for want of institutional framework. Therefore, short term frame work of skill development programme both for men and women is badly needed enabling them to lead decent living and earning better wage rates.

In Pakistan two types of knotting are in vogue one is Sehna knot which is very common another is Turkish knot weave which is very rare. In the international market the demand of Turkish knot weave in manifold as compared to Sehna knot carpets.Moreover Turkish knot weave are more durable and better in texture as compared to Sehna knot and in more demand in the international market.Therefore switching over the weave from conventional Sehna knot to Turkish knot is the need of the industry.This training programme is also aimed at improving the expertise of carpet weavers in warping,quality setting,loom mounting,healding,talam writing and talam reading.