The growing demand for skilled manpower in the country's readymade garment sector has not been met owing to shortage of training institutes. This in turn is adversely affecting exports.
Talking to The Independent, garment entrepreneurs said that around 30 per cent of the sector's total production capacity is still unutilised because of inadequate skilled manpower. The sector has a 3.5 million strong workforce, 80 per cent of them women, while the annual demand for new workers is about 50,000. The garment sector has a huge potential to grow in the days to come, but it is necessary to establish adequate infrastructure for creating skilled manpower to support the growth.
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, newly elected president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), underscored the need for a three-tier periodic plan - short, mid and long-term - to address the crisis of skilled manpower.
"As a short-term measure, we can use the infrastructures of the TTCs (Technical Training Centres) across the country to provide short courses on various aspects of the garment trade. But we need the government's approval for that," he said. He also noted twin benefits of using the TTC infrastructures to provide training – creating opportunities for the rural young population, especially those from poverty-stricken families who are unable to
continue with their studies, to get a job.
On the other hand, the garment sector would benefit by having a trained workforce that will gradually turn into skilled manpower.
He said increase in skilled manpower would help cut down foreign currency payments for hiring skilled manpower from abroad. "Currently, about 17,000 skilled workers from different countries are employed in the country's garment sector," he pointed out.
As a mid-term plan, the government could allow private sector entrepreneurs to invest in training infrastructure under special amenities, including quick licence and incentives to cover the training expenditures, he said, adding that the private sector training infrastructure is very poor now.
Mohiuddin said the long-term plan is to think now for introducing full-term academic courses in garments in different universities. He said the BGMEA has initiated the process to turn the BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology into a complete university so that a large number of students could benefit.
The garment sector is the fastest growing export-oriented sector that employs the largest work force and earns billions of foreign currency for the country, he said. "Driven by the government's support, apparel exports grew by over 42 per cent in the July-December period in 2010 in comparison to the same period of the previous year despite the global crisis."
"The sector would generate employment for eight to 10 lakh people over the next few years and it would not be difficult to raise the export income to USD 30 billion in the next three years," he said.
The worker-owner relationship has improved significantly by implementing the new wage structure that ensured Tk. 3,000 minimum monthly pay for an entry-level worker after a three-month apprenticeship on Tk. 2,500 a month.
"A skilled worker could claim higher salary and the owners would pay them for their own interests," he said.
The president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Selim Osman, said: "We need expansion of the industry to exploit the growth potential in apparel exports. And obviously we need more manpower in the days ahead". Osman said there are huge opportunities for growth of backward linkage industries of both the knit and woven sectors that would create auxiliary employment for hundreds of thousands.
He said the auxiliary industries such as embroidery, printing, level production and washing plants are also inadequate to support the growth in export of the apparel and textile in the coming years.
According to EPB statistics, knitwear exports fetched USD 4,311.92 million in July-December 2010, registering a 43.39 per cent growth over the same period of the previous FY, while woven garment export earnings totalled USD 3,636.57 million with a record growth of 40.79 per cent.
http://www.theindependentbd.com/business/others/41913-garment-sector-needs-more-skilled-workers.html
Talking to The Independent, garment entrepreneurs said that around 30 per cent of the sector's total production capacity is still unutilised because of inadequate skilled manpower. The sector has a 3.5 million strong workforce, 80 per cent of them women, while the annual demand for new workers is about 50,000. The garment sector has a huge potential to grow in the days to come, but it is necessary to establish adequate infrastructure for creating skilled manpower to support the growth.
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, newly elected president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), underscored the need for a three-tier periodic plan - short, mid and long-term - to address the crisis of skilled manpower.
"As a short-term measure, we can use the infrastructures of the TTCs (Technical Training Centres) across the country to provide short courses on various aspects of the garment trade. But we need the government's approval for that," he said. He also noted twin benefits of using the TTC infrastructures to provide training – creating opportunities for the rural young population, especially those from poverty-stricken families who are unable to
continue with their studies, to get a job.
On the other hand, the garment sector would benefit by having a trained workforce that will gradually turn into skilled manpower.
He said increase in skilled manpower would help cut down foreign currency payments for hiring skilled manpower from abroad. "Currently, about 17,000 skilled workers from different countries are employed in the country's garment sector," he pointed out.
As a mid-term plan, the government could allow private sector entrepreneurs to invest in training infrastructure under special amenities, including quick licence and incentives to cover the training expenditures, he said, adding that the private sector training infrastructure is very poor now.
Mohiuddin said the long-term plan is to think now for introducing full-term academic courses in garments in different universities. He said the BGMEA has initiated the process to turn the BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology into a complete university so that a large number of students could benefit.
The garment sector is the fastest growing export-oriented sector that employs the largest work force and earns billions of foreign currency for the country, he said. "Driven by the government's support, apparel exports grew by over 42 per cent in the July-December period in 2010 in comparison to the same period of the previous year despite the global crisis."
"The sector would generate employment for eight to 10 lakh people over the next few years and it would not be difficult to raise the export income to USD 30 billion in the next three years," he said.
The worker-owner relationship has improved significantly by implementing the new wage structure that ensured Tk. 3,000 minimum monthly pay for an entry-level worker after a three-month apprenticeship on Tk. 2,500 a month.
"A skilled worker could claim higher salary and the owners would pay them for their own interests," he said.
The president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Selim Osman, said: "We need expansion of the industry to exploit the growth potential in apparel exports. And obviously we need more manpower in the days ahead". Osman said there are huge opportunities for growth of backward linkage industries of both the knit and woven sectors that would create auxiliary employment for hundreds of thousands.
He said the auxiliary industries such as embroidery, printing, level production and washing plants are also inadequate to support the growth in export of the apparel and textile in the coming years.
According to EPB statistics, knitwear exports fetched USD 4,311.92 million in July-December 2010, registering a 43.39 per cent growth over the same period of the previous FY, while woven garment export earnings totalled USD 3,636.57 million with a record growth of 40.79 per cent.
http://www.theindependentbd.com/business/others/41913-garment-sector-needs-more-skilled-workers.html
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