Chennai, Mar 12 (UNI) With the intention of inviting investments and creating more jobs in the textile industry, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is setting up 50 Apparel Training and Design Centres (ATDCs) across the country during 2007.

The centres will conduct various training courses on garment manufacturing at the shop floor level, AEPC Chairman Vijay Kumar Agarwal told mediapersons while inaugurating a new ATDC in the city here today.

The council now runs 21 centres in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Indore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupur and Mumbai.

''Our main aim at AEPC is to create more job opportunities in the garment sector by setting up manpower training centres,'' he added.

AEPC has the responsibility of monitoring garment export quotas and promotion of exports of readymade garments from the country.

''There is an opportunity to create another five million jobs,'' he said adding ''currently, it is estimated the industry employs about three million people.

Textile industry accounts as one of the country's leading industrial employers and is responsible for a quarter of its foreign exchange earnings.

Considering this, the industry can grow leaps and bounds in the next ten years. The higher end of the industry can use educated capital in design and marketing, Mr Agarwal said.

''Textile industry should attract highest priority by the policy makers as it not only brings in foreign exchange but also creates tremendous job opportunities,'' he added.

UNI