Women share a special place at Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC), one of India’s largest vocational training provider in the apparel sector. And it was evident when they were showered their women staff, who comprise 80 per cent of the total employee strength at ATDC, with flowers and gifts on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Tuesday (March 8).
But that was not all. The fashion and apparel designing institute also organised a workshop on Sexual Harassment of Women At Workplace: Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal, under an Act that was constituted in 2013. ATDC has formed its own Internal Complaints Committee to look into harassment complaints by its employees, according to guidelines set by the Supreme Court.
Besides, the entire day at ATDC was marked with seminars, cultural events and dialogue-based workshops. The management also sought suggestions from its employees to make sure ATDC’s workplace environment remains welcoming to all, including women.
Speaking on the role of women, Dr Darlie O Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM, stated “women provide huge strengths that are inherited in their DNA with an eye for aesthetics and detail and keen innate interest in value addition.
Dr Poonam Shankar, Registrar & OSD (DG &CEO’s Office) Administration & Asset Management, ATDC National Head Office, sharing her views, said, “Empowering women is to make them independent in all aspects from mind, thought, rights, decisions, by leaving all the social and family limitations. Women constitute about 50 per cent of our country’s population, and so in order to make this country more powerful, women empowerment is very necessary… In order to really empower women in India, we need to understand and eliminate the ill practices of the society.”
According to Shankar, the apparel training institute follows certain norms to ensure safe working environment for its employees. By policy, ATDC lays emphasis on women education, raises voice against gender inequality, provides vocational training to the staff and creates more job opportunities in the apparel industry for them, she added.
ATDC has 176 centers across India. All important positions and profiles in Academics, Finance, Project Implementation, and Administration at the institute are headed by women. The apparel and design institute also conducts Tribal Women’s Special training programmes in areas like Chindwara, as well as other areas of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
