A garment manufacturing training institute, CGTI, set up by the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), will soon open doors for garment industry workers. The institute has been established in Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The institute which has been constructed with an aim to bridge the ‘skill gap’ in the Cambodian garment industry. The workers will not only be trained for basic sewing operations but also for high-level complexities which are tackled by specialists such as merchandisers and pattern makers.
India’s Methods Apparel Consultancy India Pvt. Ltd. will train the local manpower of the garment industry in collaboration with CGTI.
Three diploma courses of three-month duration each will be offered by the institute. Additionally, over 25 short-term courses (3-5 days) will also be available for workers and students.
Methods Apparel will take care of the short-term courses for working professionals in the area of Industrial Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S, and Industrial Relation offered by CGTI.
Shri Raajkhaanth, Director, Methods Apparel, who is also the instructor for the professional short-term courses of CGTI, commented, “I hope to complete the first series of two courses by July 21.”
The training of the workers will also help in fulfilling the vacant middle-management positions in the industry. Currently, the Cambodian garment industry, which employs about 700,000 people, is extensively dependent on China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea for managerial and executive positions for most of its factories.
According to International Labour Organization (ILO), the textile and garment industry in Cambodia accounts for around 80 per cent of the country’s total export revenue. Despite being the biggest contributor to country’s revenue, the industry has been struggling to find workers with the right set of skills.
To deal with the situation, a specialist programme – ‘Train and Place’ has been designed by the institute to prepare high school and university students as well as current garment workers for the management position at various garment facilities in the country.
