Official start of Centre of Excellence Initiative in Dhaka
In November 2013, H&M introduced a roadmap based on our vision that a fair living wage covering workers basic needs should be paid by all our commercial goods suppliers. As part of the roadmap H&M will support textile workers at our supplier factories to have access to education, skill development and ensuring they are employed at a level matching their skills. They should also be able to bargain collectively through elected representatives.
We are well aware that there are limits for how much a company can achieve on its own and we believe that collaboration is the key to achieve a positive change. Many different stakeholders need to work together in order to find long lasting improvements.
That is why H&M in cooperation with ILO and Swedish Development Agency (SIDA) is introducing a first ever Centre of Excellence in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The project is technically and financially supported by H&M and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and ILO is the implementing partner. On June 10th, the project had its official start when a national memorandum was signed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ILO, The Economic Relations Division of the Government of Bangladesh, the Swedish government and H&M were all present for the signing.
The Centre of Excellence is a three year project and the aim is to provide training that will raise the workers’ level of education, provide them with skills required for development of the industry and increase their employability. About 5,000 students will be trained through the centre in the pilot phase. This includes new entrants, supervisors and existing workers whose skills will be assessed, certified or trained for promotion. With this project we want to learn and better understand how certified training can increase wages, establish a replicable model and if successful scale it up.