Regional model competency standards: Garment work
Regional model competency standards: Garment work
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
Matching skills to labour market demand requires reliable sectoral and occupational information and institutions that connect employers with training providers. Sector based strategies and institutions have proved effective in engaging all stakeholders in promoting both pre-employment training and life-long learning.
International conventions and recommendations and other international instruments on human resource and skills development. Strategy papers on the practical application of international standards from international organizations covering issues related to training, effective utilization and development of skills, and on linking skills to employment.
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international-standards
Garment production is an important source of income for Asian economies. Figures for Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam show the garment industries contributes respectively 79 per cent, 52 per cent, 43 per cent, 17 per cent, 12 per cent of total exports. Significantly the garment industry also offers low-skilled jobs for many women in the lower-income countries of the region.
Increasingly, industry buyers are seeking to purchase a full service, from design to stock delivery, to shorten lead times and lower costs for customers. Countries where workers are mainly low skilled are unable to meet these demands. As the garment industry continues to achieve higher productivity, it is likely that many of the traditional, low-skill jobs held mostly by women will be lost. There will be a need for either new opportunities for employment or up-skilling of workers to meet changing requirements.
To help accelerate the improvement of training systems and the mutual recognition of skills, the ILO has developed – in consultation with employers, governments, and workers – the Regional Model Competency Standards (RMCS). These have been developed in identified priority areas, and are in a simplified format.
The RMCS are intended to be a regional reference for developing competency standards for thosecountries that are in the process of creating standards, or reviewing existing national standards. The RMCS can provide the basis for developing national competency standards so that certain countries can avoid having to develop standards from scratch.
