To deal with this problem, Shimmy Applied sciences, a women-owned social enterprise, was based in 2016 to arrange girls working in attire provide chains for the way forward for work by way of upskilling and reskilling through digital, cellular and tablet-based trainings. Shimmy’s mobile-first coaching strategy is extra versatile than conventional, paper-based coaching curriculum, the latter which inadequately addresses the speedy modifications available in the market.
The VF Basis, leads with progressive mobile-based upskilling options for girls within the garment trade, successfully countering the looming risk of automation.
Their pilot program’s exceptional success secured vital extra funding, empowering additional growth of coaching initiatives, thereby fostering sustainability and advancing gender fairness.
Shimmy’s concentrate on this technical coaching element acts as a key unlock to help staff in creating expertise and steadily rising their revenue. The bulk female-led Shimmy workforce serves as position fashions to empower feminine staff to enter superior operator roles. Their strategy goals to reshape the workforce from the bottom up, difficult the present establishment.
In 2022, The VF Basis supported Shimmy’s pilot program throughout Bangladesh to succeed in unemployed girls and assess the effectiveness of latest coaching options to upskill and reskill girls to offer them with the chance to enter the ready-made garment (RMG) trade. This system recognized technical coaching facilities in numerous cities throughout Bangladesh, together with Dhaka, and positioned close to garment factories within the space.
As well as, Shimmy carried out its analysis venture known as the Attire Automation Pulse to establish present and future machines utilized in factories. This data helped Shimmy create a requirement curve for machine-based expertise, which in flip, knowledgeable the content material of the coaching applications to align with the particular wants of employers.
The pilot yielded constructive outcomes. Of the five hundred individuals who went by way of the coaching, 452 have been girls, and over 55% have been employed within the RMG provide chain inside six months. Of these with out jobs within the RMG trade, solely 23.19% have been searching for work after six months. The remaining trainees opted to remain house as homemakers, proceed with different research, or enter one other trade.
Because of the success of the pilot, The VF Basis lately introduced Shimmy as a 2024 grantee to increase the upskilling of 500 extra staff by way of cellular phone-based coaching and an extra 800 inside bodily coaching facilities. This rising partnership with Shimmy exemplifies the ability of collaboration, that enhances VF’s work to empower girls in its provide chain, and drives ahead a shared imaginative and prescient to make sure a extra sustainable and equitable future for girls within the attire trade.
Word: The content material of this press launch has not been edited by Fibre2Fashion workers.
Fibre2Fashion Information Desk (RM)