Project kicked off at northern garment factories

News | 15 June 2020
HANOI (ILO News) – A new project – GEAR (Gender Equality & Returns) – has been launched in garment factories as part of ILO’s Better Work Viet Nam programme in coordination with the International Financial Corporation (IFC).

The project focuses on helping factories improve line-level productivity by equipping female operators with the skills needed to effectively perform once promoted as a line leader.

Through GEAR’s trainings, female operators are expected to acquire the soft and technical skills necessary to take on supervisory roles; and factory managers are coached on how to identify, train and retain female talent.

The project originally started with a pilot programme in 28 factories in Bangladesh, adapted to Vietnamese context and was also piloted at five factories in the south of Viet Nam last year.

Based on the successful results of the pilots, Better Work will expand GEAR to some northern provinces of Viet Nam between June and October 2020.

Better Work Viet Nam was created in 2009 as a unique partnership between the ILO and the IFC. The programme engages with workers, employers and governments to improve working conditions and boost competitiveness of the garment industry.