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TRAINING STRATEGIES IN
SELECTED COMPANIES
Case Study No. 3 CS Garments, Inc
Despite the gloom that the garments industry is a sunset business, CS Garment, Inc. has distinguished itself as one of the leading garment enterprises in Southeast Asia for the past decade. The company manufactures quality shirts and blouses for the world market- 95% to Europe, 3% to North America and 2% to Asia.
A German-Filipino owned multi-million dollar company and among the top 2,000 corporations in the Philippines, the company listed 7 assets as their main ingredients for growth and success. Skilled manpower is their number one asset coupled with harmonious employer-employee relationship. The other assets include the use of finest materials, ISO 9002 Quality Standards, state-of-the-art equipment, air-conditioned work areas, and safe surroundings.
German national Claus Sudhoff, who has been in the shirt business for most of his life2 started the business in 1990 in partnership with a Filipina, Concisa B. Atutubo who is the company’s General Manager. Sudhoff, President and CEO, was guided by the following corporate philosophy:
“We strive to deliver quality, style, service, and value to our clients.
We offer a balance of modern, classical, seasonal styles for grandparents, students, professionals, pilots, policemen – to city dwellers and villagers”.
Located at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario, Cavite south of Metro Manila, the company has expanded its facilities and capabilities tenfold, producing more than a million shirts a year. CS Garment products include: uniforms (shirts) for aircrew and ground staff, police, security agencies, armed forces, etc.; and various types of shorts for corporate identity, pilots, casual and special wear, executives, business wear, etc.
Globalization and Growth
Unlike other local garment manufacturers in the Philippines which operate on low-cost and low-skilled sub-contracted labor force, CS Garments pursued the opposite strategy by investing heavily in the latest technological innovations (equipment, merchandise, and process) and HRD (developing skills and work-value of workers). The company developed and hired skilled workers on a permanent basis and retained them by providing the best work environment (fully-air conditioned production areas), adequate compensation and continuous training and development of their capabilities and potentials.
While some garment manufacturers collapsed or relocated to other cheap-labor countries like China, CS Garment prospered and tremendously grew. It was awarded in 1995 the ISO 9002 quality standards. The company was able to meet customer demands and expectations through increased quality levels and comply with the European Union’s strict requirements
As a result, CS Garments garnered almost all of the coveted awards in the garment industry. Among these were-
1. “Child Friendly Firm Award” by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
2. “Kapatid Special Award for Quality Worklife (2001)” by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
3. “UN Global Compact Advocacy” initiated by ECOP, ILO and UNDP
CS Garment is actively linked with the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), Buy Philippine Made Movement, Cavite Economic Zone Investors Association (CEZIA), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA), and Confederation of Garment Exporters of the Philippines (CONGEP)
Management and Manpower Complement
The total workforce of CS Garment is highly feminized. More than 90 percent are rank-and-file workers skilled factory workers. Only 8.6% of the workforce occupies managerial posts. The company has a lean management structure and is supported by multi-tasked technical people and foreign consultants.
Production Knowledge Workers
All rank-and-file workers are considered technologists since all phases of operations in CS Garment are either computer aided or computer dependent. Production workers are in fact assigned bar codes for their identities and management can easily monitor via computer the individual worker’s performance and productivity.
The basic competencies of the company’s production workers are: skillful in shirt operations (sewing, pressing, folding, etc.); good work attitudes; quality conscious; and skilled in computerized or computer-assisted operations.
Training Philosophy
CS Garment believes that developing skills and work values is the key to competitiveness and high performance. In addition to the TESDA-accredited dual training system (DTS) employed by the company for their production workers, the company regularly conducts or participates in in-house and outside training seminars, workshops, conferences and forums.
The company’s training objectives are to develop multi-skilled garment technologists-operators through job rotation; impart garment technical skills through practical learning exercises using the finest state-of-the-art machinery and equipment; teach good work habits; and prepare other trainees for self-employment.
Training Section
Training for both managerial and rank-and-file employees is administered by the Training Section. It has two trainers, one full time and the other part-time. All section heads and other qualified staff serve as in-house trainers especially on technical matters.
CS Garment Training Programs
The training program for managers and supervisors are programmed annually based on a training needs assessment (TNA) conducted by the Operations Manager/ Training Manager or supplied by outside training providers.
The training program for rank-and-file production operators is a German-model dual training system. It consists of the following training programs:
1. TESDA-accredited Dual Training Program for skills development for 18 months or 12 months for out-of-school youth. The trainees are provided with allowances equivalent to 75% of the minimum wage.
2. Industrial Sewing Machine Operation (ISMO), a 320-hours training program designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of daily wage employees in the use of industrial sewing machines.
3. Apprenticeship Program for 1,000 hours training as shop tailor. Though still considered as unskilled workers, the apprentices are paid salaries equivalent to 75% of the minimum wage during training.
4. On-the-Job Training (OJT) for students in garment technology and mechanical/electrical courses.
5. Seminars and Training for all employees.
6. Trainers’ Training for TESDA trainers from different regions of the country.
Informal training activities include an “Orientation Program for Parents of the Trainees” and social activities that help in the values formation of the trainees. The trainees are also individually tutored or coached.
Planning and Training Needs Assessment
Among the approaches used in TNA are: performance appraisal system and career pathing of employees; interviews and tests of trainees and employees to determine their potentials as operators, trainers, or entrepreneurs; use of the human resource information system (HRIS) for individual assessment of trainees and employees; and the use of feedback system.
The training needs of managers, supervisors and staff are done on individual basis since there are very few managerial employees at CS Garment.
Training Evaluation
The training evaluation for operators is very detailed, elaborate and specific. Among the training evaluation tools are: trade tests; written tests; individual efficiency evaluation; annual efficiency evaluation; actual performance tests to check various skills; and observations on trainees work attitudes and values.
Best Practices in CS Garment
CS Garment is a leading local technological innovator in the garment industry not only in the fields of training and HRD but also in Total Quality Improvement for customer satisfaction. There are a lot to be learned from CS Garment, especially among local garment manufacturers.
References: CS Garments Inc.
Interview with Maria Madeline Gainza, Operations Manager and Portia Atutubo, Production Central Operations Manager and Coordinator of Dual Training System (Training Manager) on December 20, 2002 at their factory in Rosario Cavite Economic Zone
(CEZ) www.csgarment.com/aboutus
Dean Jorge V. Sibal, UP SOLAIR
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