The Cambodia Garment Training Center Institute (CGTI) was officially launched yesterday for workers in the garment and textile industries and is a place where they can gain more intensive skills for the development of productivity in the sector. During a visit to factories in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone, Prime Minister Mr Hun Sen officially inaugurated the CGTI, which will help with the development of more skilled workers to produce better quality products for the industry.

Mr Hun Sen said that the garment industry has been growing for decades and employs almost one million people as well as contributing to the country’s economic growth. So far there are 1,168 factories and enterprises in Cambodia with more than one million workers and exports from garment industry at present is more than $12 billion compared to only $200 million in the past. They are trying to work on industrial policy that will attract investors to invest here.

CGTI is built by the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia with a soft loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) and its building was completed early this year.

Andrew Tey, the director of CGTI, said that the garment and footwear industry is facing many challenges and competition, while wages in the industry are set to be reviewed and will increase year-on-year, all of which requires a better quality in the production of goods.

They have to understand the needs of the industry. Right now Cambodia lacks a soft training institute, so that’s why GMAC is here to provide the members’ needs and to help them as the factories need to improve the productivity together with the rise of wages. If not, Cambodia will lose its competitiveness compared with countries like Vietnam, while Myanmar is coming up.

According to Mr Tey, the CGTI in cooperation with the Singapore-based TaF.tc is providing Singaporean trainers and setting up courses for the institute over its first three years to train local people to become the next trainers.

Mr Tey said that the institute had already held its first class in mid-July, which comprised 43 students from three garment factories who are now working as assistant supervisors and team leaders. For the moment the CGTI was focusing on supervisors and shop floor team leaders and added that the training institute would later add courses for middle level managers.