Brandix to roll-out P.A.C.E. programme for female associates
Brandix Group has announced plans to extend the Gap Inc. Personal and
Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) programme for female garment workers to
the Group's facilities in Sri Lanka. The Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. programme is
a life and work skills education programme designed to positively impact
female garment workers in factories that make Gap Inc. product.
The programme provides workers with foundational skills, technical
training and support to help them advance in the workplace and in their
personal lives. Female garment workers participating in the programme
take part in eight modules of life skills education programmes,
including communication skills, problem-solving, time and stress
management, health and nutrition, financial literacy and gender
equality. Participants also receive enhanced technical skills training.
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Gap Inc.’s
Train the Trainers programme in progress. |
Research shows that Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. graduates are more productive,
have lower rates of absenteeism and are promoted faster than factory
workers who do not participate in the programme.
"Brandix is happy to undertake the implementation of this valuable
empowerment programme," said Anusha Alles, Head of CSR for the Group.
"Implementing the Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. programme and integrating it into
our internal learning curriculum reinforces Brandix's commitment to
bettering the lives of our associates."
Ira Puspadewi, Gap Inc.'s Director of Social and Community Investment
said, "We are happy that Brandix has chosen to expand the Gap Inc.
P.A.C.E. programme to their facilities in Sri Lanka.
P.A.C.E. is successful in part due to the commitment vendors such as
Brandix have made to integrate the programme into their on-going factory
trainings."
As a first step, nine selected trainers from Brandix Casualwear are
to be trained as trainers for the P.A.C.E. programme.
These trainers will in turn train 210 Brandix associates from Brandix
Casualwear, Ratmalana, beginning in August and September this year.
The training will thereafter be rolled out across all business units
of the Brandix Group, Ms. Alles said.
In 2007, Gap Inc. launched a pilot phase of the P.A.C.E. programme in
India. Gap Inc. has since further developed the training content, and
with vendor partners, has scaled up and replicated the P.A.C.E.
programme in Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Sri
Lanka.
To date, more than 10,000 female garment workers have participated in
P.A.C.E. programme trainings. In September 2011, former U.S. President
Bill Clinton recognized Gap Inc. for its commitment and model approach
to addressing challenges in economic empowerment through the P.A.C.E.
programme.
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