Thirty-one ‘complete’ cotton training

From field to fashion and everything else in between, 31 delegates from all sectors of the global cotton industry have completed the International Cotton Association’s (ICA) annual training programme, Complete Cotton.

The 10-day-training took place last month (29 April – 10 May) in Liverpool, UK, where 21 industry experts delivered a series of 22 training modules that covered all aspects of the cotton industry. One delegate to benefit from the training said: “The whole two-week experience was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed gaining a holistic view of how our industry works, from farming through to end users. It was also a 

brilliant networking event for industry newcomers like myself allowing me to meet and make friends with people from all over the world.”

As well as the training, delegates also got the opportunity to network and socialise. They attended a number of specially sponsored events, including a visit to Quarry Bank Mill – founded in 1784 and now restored as a fully working cotton mill and museum and a trip to Anfield – home to Liverpool Football Club.

Bill Kingdon, ICA Managing Director said; “Once again Complete Cotton 2019 successfully combined the knowledge and expertise of guest presenters from every sector of the industry with the enthusiastic participation of professionals from most sectors of the cotton community, including producers, traders, yarn & textile manufacturers, agents, controllers, logisticians and staff here at the ICA. It was great to see 31 cotton professionals from 15 countries right across the world who are committed to this varied and challenging commodity. Arguably, while the cotton market is languishing under such a range of external pressures, the importance of this network and the ICA framework has never been greater. It is exciting to see strong friendships develop amongst this group – friendships which we hope will last

throughout long careers in cotton. None of this would have been possible without the sponsorship of ICA members, the generous commitment of the speakers or the positive engagement of the delegates, all of which is enabled by Tom Lowndes and the team here at ICA. This is a legendary opportunity in the career of all aspiring cotton professionals – and for those of you who remember well your time in Liverpool in years gone by, you can be assured that the tradition is thriving and adapting to the current needs of the industry.”