Centre of excellence takes off

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday officially opened the Centre of Excellence for the Bangladesh Apparel Industries (CEBAI), an initiative to create a skilled labour force for the export-oriented industry.

Based in Ashulia, the centre will help meet the sector's need for skilled labour by providing competency-based training in areas where demand from the industry is the greatest. By training workers to nationally recognised standards, it will also help them gain skills to earn higher wages.

At a ceremony at Dhaka Apparel Summit at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, the prime minister inaugurated the centre, supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Government of Sweden, leading Swedish fashion retailer Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

“The Centre of Excellence will help create a better skilled, better paid workforce. The approach aims to effectively meet employers' needs for skilled workers while at the same time help workers attain decent work,” said Srinivas B Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh.

“In a hugely competitive global market, the skills and productivity of Bangladesh RMG workforce must be strengthened. By answering a clear demand from the industry, the Centre of Excellence should become self-funding and we expect to see the centre replicated to serve the needs of the RMG sector across Bangladesh,” said Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA.

Reaz Bin Mahmood, vice-president (finance) of BGMEA, said that in view of the potential expansion of the sector in the next five to ten years, CEBAI had been set up to demonstrate and implement skills development and research initiatives, in a major step towards realising a sustainable sector.

Johan Frisell, Swedish ambassador to Bangladesh, said, “This initiative is an excellent example of how the private and public sectors can join hands to meet the demands of the industry and enhance the working conditions and lives of RMG workers. By supporting the Centre of Excellence, Sweden wants to raise the opportunities for people living in poverty, especially women, to contribute to and benefit from an inclusive economic growth.”

“Supporting the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for the Bangladesh Apparel Industries is a reflection of H&M's long-term commitment to Bangladesh. It will help the industry overcome challenges relating to recruiting and retaining skilled personnel, while empowering the workforce and contributing to development of the country,” said Jenny Fagerlin, sustainability manager for H&M in Bangladesh.

The project will also train supervisors and managers in occupational safety and health, disability inclusion, and workers' rights and responsibilities. The level of skills of existing workers at the RMG Sector will be assessed through recognition of prior learning and certification as the basis for improved wages. 

Furthermore, the project will deliver training and certification to instructors, industry trainers and assessors, and briefings to managers and executives of the enterprises.

To be consistent with employment trends of the sector, most beneficiaries will be women and there is a target to fill five percent of the workforce with physically challenged people.