Center of Excellence Project Aims to Create Skilled Workforce for RMG Sector in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh and the International Labour Organization have signed a new project to establish a Center of Excellence (COE) for Ready Made Garment Sector aimed at creating a skilled labour force for the export oriented industry.
DHAKA – The Economic Relations Division of the Government of Bangladesh and the International Labour Organization have signed a new project titled “Establishing Center of Excellence (COE) for RMG to Implement Certified Training within the National Skills Development Framework of Bangladesh”. The signing ceremony was held in Dhaka.
The project is funded by the Swedish government and Swedish fashion company Hennes and Mauritz (H&M). The initiative will be implemented by ILO. The COE project strives to establish a replicable model of industry driven training and support services through a Centre of Excellence (COE), to help meet the need for a skilled labour force in the export oriented industry. The Ministry of Education (MoE) will act as the focal ministry with Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) as the lead agency for the 3-year project.
“The efforts to enhance skills of the workforce of RMG Sector signals a paradigm shift for the industry in Bangladesh. The initiative will play a vital role in transforming the workforce by introducing competency based training linked to nationally recognized training standards, aimed at increasing productivity of the workers and creating a basis for better wages. The ILO is committed to working for the betterment of the workers of Bangladesh and also to ensure that the employers and the industry benefits from a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Mr. Srinivasa B Reddy, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh, who signed the project on behalf of ILO.
Ms Anneli Lindahl-Kenny, the ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh, says “the emergence of the RMG sector in Bangladesh has proved very important for the economic development and women’s economic empowerment in the country. However, the industry is facing severe challenges regarding the status of labour conditions and rights as well as with recruiting and retaining skilled personnel. I am very pleased that the Swedish government and the biggest Swedish fashion company H&M now will work together with ILO, the Government of Bangladesh and relevant industry stakeholders. Together we can develop an innovative and financially viable concept for the industry to manage its own need of skilled labour and simultaneously achieve a socially more sustainable sector.”
“H&M sees this project as an opportunity to strengthen structures in Bangladesh, which potentially can have cross sectorial impact. This approach will ensure long term sustainability, since the structures will be fully integrated in the Bangladesh society. The success of this project rests with the commitment from the RMG industry as well as from the Government of Bangladesh, which together with the workers will be the main beneficiaries. Once in place, we expect that the Centre of Excellence will serve as a role model for future scaling up as well as facilitating a more enabling environment, where a worker can get recognized for his or her skills, and fully utilize the Bangladeshi labour market for employment and wage negotiations”, says Helena Helmersson, Head of Sustainability at H&M.
One of the major goals of the project is to demonstrate that an industry based training focus can effectively increase employability or secure higher income for unemployed or under-employed Bangladeshis and therefore contribute to poverty alleviation. While the project will foster industry’s drive towards broader momentum in skills development, it will also directly benefit 4,900 individuals during the pilot period with 3,480 new entrants who will be trained and certified under the National Technical and Vocational Qualification Framework (NTVQF) and placed in operator level positions in industry. Also, 60 supervisors and 60 managers will be trained and certified in key leadership skills and responsibilities that will focus on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), disability inclusion and workers’ rights and responsibilities. Furthermore, the skills level of 800 existing workers from the RMG Sector will be assessed through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and certified as the basis for improved wages.
In addition, the project will deliver training and certification for instructors, industry trainers and assessors and briefings for managers and executives of enterprises. Consistent with employment trends of the RMG sector, the majority of beneficiaries will be women and there is a 5% target to include people with disabilities. As a model, the Center of Excellence will demonstrate a sustainable, self-funded approach in coordinating training and labour market expertise by bringing together a group of enterprises and training providers.
The approach builds on a number of successful examples in training and inclusion of persons with disabilities to offer a model, emphasizing sustainable stakeholders’ commitment and financial viability. The approach aims to effectively meet both employers’ needs for a skilled workforce and needs of the workers and their social needs for decent work. The Center of Excellence (COE) will be established in one of the RMG cluster areas, and will gradually create satellite branches in other locations and will closely work with BGMEA and BKMEA.
For Technical Information please contact rmgcoe-skills-dhaka@ilo.org
For Information on the ILO Country Office, Bangladesh please visit www.ilo.org/dhaka or contact dhaka@ilo.org
The project is funded by the Swedish government and Swedish fashion company Hennes and Mauritz (H&M). The initiative will be implemented by ILO. The COE project strives to establish a replicable model of industry driven training and support services through a Centre of Excellence (COE), to help meet the need for a skilled labour force in the export oriented industry. The Ministry of Education (MoE) will act as the focal ministry with Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) as the lead agency for the 3-year project.
“The efforts to enhance skills of the workforce of RMG Sector signals a paradigm shift for the industry in Bangladesh. The initiative will play a vital role in transforming the workforce by introducing competency based training linked to nationally recognized training standards, aimed at increasing productivity of the workers and creating a basis for better wages. The ILO is committed to working for the betterment of the workers of Bangladesh and also to ensure that the employers and the industry benefits from a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Mr. Srinivasa B Reddy, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh, who signed the project on behalf of ILO.
Ms Anneli Lindahl-Kenny, the ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh, says “the emergence of the RMG sector in Bangladesh has proved very important for the economic development and women’s economic empowerment in the country. However, the industry is facing severe challenges regarding the status of labour conditions and rights as well as with recruiting and retaining skilled personnel. I am very pleased that the Swedish government and the biggest Swedish fashion company H&M now will work together with ILO, the Government of Bangladesh and relevant industry stakeholders. Together we can develop an innovative and financially viable concept for the industry to manage its own need of skilled labour and simultaneously achieve a socially more sustainable sector.”
“H&M sees this project as an opportunity to strengthen structures in Bangladesh, which potentially can have cross sectorial impact. This approach will ensure long term sustainability, since the structures will be fully integrated in the Bangladesh society. The success of this project rests with the commitment from the RMG industry as well as from the Government of Bangladesh, which together with the workers will be the main beneficiaries. Once in place, we expect that the Centre of Excellence will serve as a role model for future scaling up as well as facilitating a more enabling environment, where a worker can get recognized for his or her skills, and fully utilize the Bangladeshi labour market for employment and wage negotiations”, says Helena Helmersson, Head of Sustainability at H&M.
One of the major goals of the project is to demonstrate that an industry based training focus can effectively increase employability or secure higher income for unemployed or under-employed Bangladeshis and therefore contribute to poverty alleviation. While the project will foster industry’s drive towards broader momentum in skills development, it will also directly benefit 4,900 individuals during the pilot period with 3,480 new entrants who will be trained and certified under the National Technical and Vocational Qualification Framework (NTVQF) and placed in operator level positions in industry. Also, 60 supervisors and 60 managers will be trained and certified in key leadership skills and responsibilities that will focus on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), disability inclusion and workers’ rights and responsibilities. Furthermore, the skills level of 800 existing workers from the RMG Sector will be assessed through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and certified as the basis for improved wages.
In addition, the project will deliver training and certification for instructors, industry trainers and assessors and briefings for managers and executives of enterprises. Consistent with employment trends of the RMG sector, the majority of beneficiaries will be women and there is a 5% target to include people with disabilities. As a model, the Center of Excellence will demonstrate a sustainable, self-funded approach in coordinating training and labour market expertise by bringing together a group of enterprises and training providers.
The approach builds on a number of successful examples in training and inclusion of persons with disabilities to offer a model, emphasizing sustainable stakeholders’ commitment and financial viability. The approach aims to effectively meet both employers’ needs for a skilled workforce and needs of the workers and their social needs for decent work. The Center of Excellence (COE) will be established in one of the RMG cluster areas, and will gradually create satellite branches in other locations and will closely work with BGMEA and BKMEA.
For Technical Information please contact rmgcoe-skills-dhaka@ilo.org
For Information on the ILO Country Office, Bangladesh please visit www.ilo.org/dhaka or contact dhaka@ilo.org