Stakeholders urge skill development for sustainable apparel industry growth in Bangladesh

Stakeholders have called for priotising skills development and welfare for women for the sustainable growth of Bangladesh’s apparel industry.

In addition, a collective effort is required to boost the productivity and well-being of workers, they said at the dialogue titled 'Embracing Wellbeing: Nurturing the Future of Apparel Workers in the Industry' at a Dhaka city hotel on Thursday. 'Lightcastle Partners' and 'Policy Exchange Bangladesh' organised the dialogue.

The effort should involve a dedicated focus on enhancing the health of women workers, promoting financial inclusion, and facilitating skills development to align with the evolving landscape of the industry, they suggested.

The speakers also acknowledged commendable initiatives by some factory owners for the welfare of women workers, alongside highlighting that a significant number of owners have not proactively taken steps to enhance worker well-being.

Md Fazlul Hoque, managing director of Plummy Fashion, highlighted the current industrial productivity in the country’s RMG sector (50 per cent) compared to China (70 per cent) and emphasised the potential for improvement to align with industry requirements.

Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of BUILD, stressed the importance of demand-driven upskilling and reskilling, emphasising collaboration between industries and stakeholders to tailor training programmes to industry needs.

Md Selim Hossen, deputy secretary of the commerce ministry, emphasised the strategic necessity of ensuring the well-being of women workers in the apparel sector for sustainable growth, acknowledging the sector's significance as the backbone of the country's economy.

The event featured several discussion sessions moderated by industry experts.

Md Jamal Uddin, an RMG expert, moderated a session on financial inclusion, upskilling, and reskilling of garment workers.

Dr M Masrur Reaz facilitated a discussion on developing a productive workforce for a competitive RMG sector.

Julia Ahmed, an independent consultant, led a discussion on the health of women workers in the garment sector, focusing on creating a safe work environment and addressing social rights issues.

The insights presented at the event were derived from the report titled 'Threads of Progress: A Comprehensive Landscape Study of the Apparel Industry and the Future of Women Workers,' a collaborative effort between LightCastle Partners and Policy Exchange.

Md Selim Hossen, deputy secretary of the commerce ministry; Dr M Masrur Reaz, chairman and CEO of Policy Exchange Bangladesh; Zahedul Amin, co-founder and director of Lightcastle Partners; Faisal Bin Seraj, country representative of the Asia Foundation; Ainee Islam, director of programme development at The Asia Foundation; Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor at the Institute of Health Economics, Dhaka University; Dr Mehruna Islam Chowdhury, business and human rights specialist at UNDP Bangladesh; Asif Ibrahim, vice chairman of New Age Group; Md Fazlul Hoque, managing director of Plummy Fashion; and Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD), among others, shared their insights at the dialogue.

The event was part of Bunon 2030 project titled ‘Oporajita: Collective Impact on Future of Work’, which is funded by the H&M Foundation with the support of The Asia Foundation.