The newly launched Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT) aims to create more decent and sustainable employment in the garment sector. The ILO organized a workshop with facilitators in Bangladesh to learn about the programme and how to deliver factory support sessions.

On 26th of January 2021, the ILO organized a workshop with Employer and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs) and representatives from the ILO-IFC Better Work Bangladesh programme on the newly launched Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT), an activity-based programme aimed at improving garment factories’ productivity and working conditions.

The FIT programme encompasses over 60 training modules that can be catered for everyone’s needs and delivered in an interactive participatory manner. Topics include organizing materials, tracking production and human resource management.

The workshop, attended by 15 future FIT facilitators, gave participants the opportunity to learn about FIT, its methodology and how to best deliver training modules to garment factories. In addition, facilitators learned the vital tasks and responsibilities when carrying out FIT trainings and aimed to build motivation and confidence for participants to become succesful trainers. 

Participants included nominated facilitators from the Bangladesh Employers Federation, Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporter Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Better Work Bangladesh. They were brought together in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of the session, participants expressed the relevancy and timeliness of the FIT programme as garment factories are struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The workshop was a key component of rolling out FIT in Bangladesh, as facilitators were equipped with the knowledge and tools to carry out trainings at factories across the country. The ILO will conduct factory pilot sessions in the upcoming months and continue supporting trainers, organizations and the wider Bangladeshi garment industry.

All Factory Improvement Toolset materials are available for download at the ILO Peer Learning Hub.