Industrial Sewing Class Hosting Last Cohort for 2022

A new city-funded program to teach industrial sewing is about to start its last class of the year. The training program, which is called Arizona Stitch Lab, got off the ground in January after receiving $300,000 from the city to run for two years. Sonoran Stitch Factory hosts it, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Moonshot AZ also help manage it.

Barbra Coffee is Tucson’s economic initiatives director. She said people at all skill levels can join the classes, which teach industrial sewing, digital pattern making and 3D modeling, among other skills. "There's about 50 or so companies in the Tucson area that would need this kind of skill, and then if there are skills gaps in the area, it's not good for business retention, right?" she said.

Its final cohort of this year will start in October. To listen to the AZPM segment, visit their news page.