“Professional accreditation means that students can stand out more in the workplace”

Justine Davidson is principal lecturer for the BA (Hons) Fashion Management course at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), which is Dual Accredited by CMI. With a background as a fashion buyer for global retailers and over a decade of experience at NTU, Justine plays a pivotal role in shaping a course that not only prepares students for the realities of the fast-paced fashion industry, but also equips them with the leadership skills needed to thrive in it.

We sat down with Justine to explore how the CMI partnership enhances students’ employability and supports their personal and professional growth. The course’s Dual Accreditation is a key differentiator, she explains, adding a valuable professional qualification to the academic degree.

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She also highlights how the course is tailored to produce confident, adaptable graduates ready to lead change in the fashion industry, with valuable experience gained through both live projects and industry placements, as well as mentoring.

Here’s what Justine had to say…

How important do you think management and leadership skills are specifically in the field of fashion?

Justine Davidson (JD): It is a tricky term ‘management’, because really it's more about leadership, team working, listening, resilience and a lot of those soft skills that make a great leader, like communication. A lot of the students who come into our course want to go into the fashion industry, but they don't necessarily want to be a designer. They’re very passionate about it.

So, for us, this course and management and leadership is about managing the students' skill sets around being able to realise their end goals.

Leadership and management – those terms really are about managing their own journey and managing others around them in an effective way, whether they're good listeners, good communicators or whether they're fast-paced and more reflective.

Tell us a bit about the relationship between CMI and the Fashion Management course at NTU.

JD: The course is accredited by CMI and the accreditation is a Level 5 Management and Leadership Certificate. It has been really good for us to get professional accreditation for the course, because obviously we've got the academic accreditation, but for students to get a professional one as well really cements their knowledge within the fashion industry.

It does set us apart, because times are tough out there in terms of higher education, but also in terms of the job market. To get professional accreditation on top of the degree means that students can stand out more in the workplace.

We have quite a lot of interaction with CMI, so as well as the resources that students have access to, we also have guest lecturers coming in. CMI gives us access to new webinars that are happening and we tailor it in terms of the input that we have with different year groups.

What are some of the other benefits of Dual Accreditation?

Justine: So I think there was a stat that there tends to be an 8% increase in salaries for people who graduated with a CMI Dual Accredited degree. So that's really meaningful when we've got open days and we are talking about the university and employability levels for the course. I think one of the key things is that the students can then also, if they remain members of CMI, personalise that journey after graduating.