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Cutting IT is a European project which seeks to develop and pilot innovative models and approaches in assisting small and medium enterprises and their employees in the apparel, clothing and textile sector in East London to adapt to the impact of changing market conditions and new technologies on business competitiveness. The project sought to develop and pilot new flexible learning programmes, progression and career pathways to Level 3 and 4; along with learning centres/access points at workplace and community levels and a sector-specific virtual learning centre. Working with designers and manufacturers in the garment making industry and with the Newham College of Further Education, Tribal developed two sets of new and innovative m-learning materials as part of their contribution to the project.

The first development was a blended learning package of fliers, m-learning games and challenges developed for, and in conjunction with, one of the project partners, Fashion Awareness Direct, who are responsible for creating a pathway linking school students to higher education and the fashion industry. The materials, which were used alongside workshops run for GCSE students studying textiles, were closely linked to, and reflected elements of, the GCSE textiles syllabus. Colourful and eye-catching fliers supplemented the interactive games and quizzes using animation and sound to deliver learning. These proved highly successful in the trials with the target group and with their teachers, who took away a significant amount of the paper based materials.

A second set of m-learning materials was developed in conjunction with Skillsmart. This sector-specific body was working on an innovative venture for delivering Entry to Employment within the sector, and required a tool to assess an individuals’ current position or level (with regard to Level 1/Level 2 literacy and numeracy), that was contextualised to reflect sector-specific terminology and real life sector activities. Two screeners were subsequently developed which were contextualised using real life scenarios of activities in the following: apparel, textiles, footwear and leather, fashion and textiles design and laundry and dry cleaning. These provided a one off’ initial assessment with a downloadable printable assessment report to a standalone PC. This is currently being trialled with the target group in job centres around the country.