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The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is launching a “Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and OSH” to facilitate reskilling of mid-level employees and improve productivity in the apparel industry – for tackling the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
With an infrastructure development budget of around $2.5 million, the centre will begin operations at 5,000 square feet space in the capital’s BGMEA headquarters on March 26, association sources told The Business Post. This facility will not charge for training or services.
BGMEA expects this centre to train around 1,000 mid-level management officials, owners and workers annually, said insiders, adding that it will provide need-based training to industry professionals, and there will be occasional sessions for the industry’s top management too.
This facility – which will require a budget of $7 million – will work with its member factories to enhance the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) industry. The Ministry of Commerce is supporting this initiative.
The association is also on the lookout for a development partner to help run this centre, insiders said.
Commenting on the initiative, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “We need to develop our products and skills to compete and secure a stronger position in the global market. But we had no learning centre where workers, mid-level management and owners can be trained.
“To address this issue, we are launching the Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and OSH. It is a totally different initiative where we have set up class rooms, a studio, digital lab, virtual centre and other facilities. This centre is a complete institute where everyone will be able to learn.
What training will be offered?
The Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and OSH will provide training on following areas – productivity and efficiency, industrial engineering, production planning and supply chain management, pattern marking, 3D sampling and virtual prototyping, lean manufacturing, product and process innovation, resource optimisation, and environment and sustainability.
BGMEA sources say the centre will also offer lessons on upgradation of technology, fourth industrial revolution, improved industrial relations and workers’ empowerment, basics of business and digital marketing.
The training programme will include business, finance, market development, management process, and marketing to inspire the top management, while the technical staff will be trained on product development, innovation, and efficiency enhancement.
Topics such as virtual sampling, 3D prototyping, environmental sustainability, worker management relationship, grievance handling, workers wellbeing, occupational safety and health, and leadership development will also be included in the training.
The center will offer a platform to exchange knowledge and expertise.
BGMEA Director and also the Project Director Abdullah Hil Rakib said, “Around 2 million people are joining the labour force every year. This large figure illustrates the comparative advantage of Bangladesh’s growth led by the manufacturing sector.
“There are big opportunities for us to grow in the untapped market by diversifying the export basket. One of the major impediments for doing so is the skill gap, and our aim is to improve on this issue.”
He added, “We are not in a position to cater to the diversified market and value-added segments.
“To reduce the gap, the most prudent way would be to develop the skills of fresh employees to feed the industry’s demand, while up-skilling and re-skilling the existing labour force.”
Who are training recipients?
Under this project, all RMG factory owners, mid-level management employees, and workers will be eligible to receive the training without any cost. However, the BGMEA has not yet set the number of trainees the centre will take each year, insiders say.
Providing more details, Project Director Abdullah Hil Rakib said, “We are focusing on developing the skills of mid-level management employees.
“Under this initiative, we will set 3D design centres in zones with RMG factories, and officials from every factory will be able to create 3D samples and patterns, and send those to the buyers”
Who will run the centre?
This project will have four initiatives – skill development, mid-level management skill development, 4th IR, and digitalisation. Three teams shouldering the responsibilities of management training, administration and fund collection are working to run this project.
To get this project off the ground, management training, administration and fund collection teams are working, insiders say.
Project Director Abdullah Hil Rakib said, “We hired skilled employees in different areas of the RMG sector as trainers. Besides that we also hired experts such as university teachers.
“We already spoke with the authorities of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Brac University and BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology to run this project. It is an institute, and we formed a curriculum and a board to run it.”
‘Looking for development partners’
The Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and OSH is a high cost project, and is primarily being funded by the BGMEA. But to execute this facility’s intended objectives, the association is looking for development partners.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “It is a big project and we are trying to launch operations on March 26. But to reach our goals, the centre will need a large investment, and we are looking for development partners who can support us.
“Some partners can help us by providing machinery, some can provide technical support. We are currently communicating with a few interested organisations and hopefully they will support us.”
He added that the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and a few buyers have already expressed their interest in working with us.
“If development partners stop funding, we will run the centre with funds from the BGMEA. So there are no concerns over the project getting discontinued.”
BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim said, “Along with the International Finance Corporation and Aamra Resources Ltd, a number of organisations are interested in working with us on this initiative.
“We will establish a mechanism to ensure continued funding of this project in the coming days.”
