Section 4: You will hear a talk at a university open day to students interested in following a course in textiles and business studies.
Speaker: First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40 on pages 7 and 8.
Speaker: Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
Speaker: Thank you first of all for coming along to the University’s Open Day and in particular for coming to this talk to find out about our course in Textiles with Business Studies.
Speaker: The cooperation between the Faculty of Arts and Architecture and the Business Faculty enables us to offer this undergraduate and integrated master’s course.
Speaker: In the five years this course has been running we’ve learned a lot and it’s become very popular.
Speaker: Now thanks to the Faculty of Engineering we’re also able to offer a really exciting opportunity to those who would like to further diversify and would like to carry their learning through into new disciplines.
Speaker: Now the aims of this course are firstly to create innovative and highly motivated textile practitioners within the disciplines of knitted textiles an increasingly popular area as you will have seen on the catwalks printed and of course woven textiles.
Speaker: Secondly we also ensure that our students gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of related business operations.
Speaker: We make sure that our students have sufficient hands-on experience by arranging interesting and relevant work placements.
Speaker: The focus of the integrated component of the work placement is the global market.
Speaker: Our aim is to locate studio work in this increasingly important context.
Speaker: Moving on to what we do in each year.
Speaker: In the first year students explore the three subject areas of textiles in rotation.
Speaker: The emphasis for the first year is experimentation and we ask for evidence of visual research which must be supported by documentation and proposals for its application.
Speaker: In year two design and technical skills are related to the real world.
Speaker: Unlike many other university textile courses these days we give our students the opportunity to choose an extra module on the traditional processes of design which gives a historical perspective on their work.
Speaker: This can be done before introducing students to computer-aided design.
Speaker: Students at this point, year two, decide if they intend to complete the course at year three with a BA Hons or progress to year four and conclude with a master’s in design.
Speaker: Students can also have tutorials if they feel they need help making this important decision.
Speaker: This reflects our commitment to student support at all times.
Speaker: Year three consolidates the knowledge gained using a particular learning style it’s called reflective practice.
Speaker: That means you look back on what you’ve done and analyse and evaluate your subject in both academic and professional contexts.
Speaker: This helps and encourages deeper understanding.
Speaker: Students produce a dissertation on a topic of their own choosing and a portfolio of their textile collection.
Speaker: Also to help underpin the commercial aspect of the course we ask for a business plan.
Speaker: On the subject of career opportunities many graduates work directly within the textile business with careers commonly found as stylists and retail managers.
Speaker: However it shouldn’t be forgotten that there are many other exciting opportunities out there for example careers in journalism for those with a flair for words or trend forecasting for those with their eye on the future.
Speaker: We are certain that we shall see broader and more varied opportunities for our graduates.
Speaker: If you like what you’ve heard today and are thinking of applying for the program and you’d like to talk to us further please come back tomorrow.
Speaker: You’ll have the opportunity to do a brief interview where we’ll be able to assess your aptitude for this subject area.
Speaker: Many students who haven’t studied related subjects may be surprised to find that they’re quite well suited to our program.
Speaker: After that of course you’ll need to go through the usual application procedures.
Speaker: That is the end of section 4.
Speaker: You now have half a minute to check your answers.
Speaker: That is the end of the listening test.
Speaker: You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.
