Advancing Women to Advance the World

Transcription

1 Advancing Women to Advance the World Program Overview

2 CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION Life Skills Learning Technical Skills Training 6 OBJECTIVES 8 IMPLEMENTATION Selection of Participants Teaching Methodologies Sustainability Teachers Toolkit 11 RESULTS / IMPACT Social Impact Business Impact Vendor Data Quotations from Female Garment Workers and Key Influencers 15 COLLECTIVE IMPACT 16 PARTNERS 17 IN THE MEDIA 2

3 Introduction Globally the garment industry is one of the largest employers of low-skilled female workers. Despite their large numbers in the workforce, relatively few female line workers advance to positions of supervisors and managers, as they have few opportunities to enhance their managerial and life skills that would enable their professional and personal growth. 3

4 In response to this need, Gap Inc. initiated the Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) life learning program. Research, design and development began in late 2005 and a pilot program was launched in 2007 in two garment factories in India. The program has since expanded to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. An innovative factory-based program, the main focus of the Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program is to positively impact female garment workers (FGWs) by providing them with foundational skills and support that will help them advance in the workplace and in their personal lives, through life skills education and technical training. LIFE SKILLS LEARNING The P.A.C.E. curriculum covers a variety of topics related to life skills that are crucial to the growth and development of the FGW. Each module is designed to enhance specific competencies and to help participants understand concepts in a holistic way. Currently the program covers up to 8 modules of learning: (1) Communication; (2) Problem Solving and Decision Making; (3) Time and Stress Management; (4) Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; (5) Execution Excellence; (6) General and Reproductive Health; (7) Financial Literacy; and (8) Legal Literacy and Social Entitlements. Execution Excellence is a module of 4

5 learning that teaches workers how to apply their newly learned skills, particularly in the workplace. Additionally, the topics of Safety & Security and Gender are integrated across all of the modules. Gender describes gender roles and norms and how gender influences opportunities and access to resources. The modules are categorized into core, required, and supplementary modules. Modules 1-3 are core to the women s learning and must be taught in the order in which they are listed because they are designed to build on the content of the previous module. They are the foundational modules which are designed to directly affect the women s personal and work lives. Module 4, which is a required module, and modules 5-8, the supplementary modules, offer increased knowledge on topics that more directly affect the women s personal lives. In countries where there is an identified need, basic literacy education is included as a learning module prior to women beginning the P.A.C.E. program. The life skills education component of P.A.C.E. consists of approximately hours of learning and usually covers an 8-10 month timeframe. 5

6 TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING Critical to the workers career development, and to the design of the P.A.C.E. program, is the opportunity for FGWs to increase their work skills through enhanced technical skills training. Once workers complete the life skills component of the program, they are given an opportunity to participate in technical skills training as designed and implemented by vendor staff. This technical component is designed to address specific needs within the manufacturing setting. The Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the country, culture, social environment and workplace in which it is being implemented. The program leverages Gap Inc. s relationships with key vendor partners in the facilities in which Gap Inc. product is manufactured. OBJECTIVES KEY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: Positively impact FGWs by providing them with foundational skills and support that will help them advance in the workplace and in their personal lives. Create a sustainable and scalable program model that benefits all participants and contributors. Have a positive impact in the communities by strengthening relationships with strategic vendors. 6

7 Investing in improving women s lives is a natural fit for Gap Inc. and our company values. The program is innovative, scalable and sustainable. Bob Fisher Director and Former Chairman, Gap Inc. 7

8 ADVANCING WOMEN TO ADVANCE THE WORLD FACTORY MANAGEMENT THE WOMEN WHO MAKE OUR CLOTHES The Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program gives the women who make our clothes opportunities to advance at work and in life by providing them with life skills education and technical skills training Commit to the program and provide the necessary resources to implement and sustain it P.A.C.E. INSTRUCTORS Trained personnel who deliver the P.A.C.E. program KEY INFLUENCERS Factory supervisors, managers, and family members of women in the program receive a high level overview to understand the program and its impact on women WOMEN IN THE COMMUNITY Community-based program for women to receive the skills and tools they need to move their lives forward MALE FACTORY WORKERS Condensed program for male workers (optional for participating factories) Implementation SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS The Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program is a voluntary program (both for the vendor and for the FGWs who participate). Although orientations to the program are conducted, and workers are encouraged to participate, ultimately it is the workers who self-select to join the program. With that in mind, it is important that the vendor determines what criteria will be used to select the women that will be given the opportunity to join the program. The criteria varies by vendor, but is usually based on two key areas: Tenure: Some vendors may require as much as 3 years, and there are others that have not included this as a criteria at all. Attendance: As this program benefits the worker in both their personal lives AND in their careers, some vendors prefer that women with good attendance records are given the priority to participate rather than those who have significant absences. Vendors may choose to add other criteria to be jointly agreed on by the vendor and Gap Inc. 8

9 TEACHING METHODOLOGIES With an understanding that female garment workers have many demands on their time, which might discourage them from fully participating in the program, the program has been designed to ensure participatory learning. P.A.C.E. program teaching methodologies include, but are not limited to: Icebreakers Video clips Group discussions Role plays Simulation exercises Brainstorming Individual presentations In some settings, the program includes peer-to-peer learning and sharing sessions. 9

10 SUSTAINABILITY P.A.C.E. is not a training program. It is a life learning program that has been designed for sustainability. The program is meant to be integrated into the vendor s ongoing operations. In order to ensure that the vendor has the ability to implement and sustain the program over time, the vendor identifies an internal team who will undergo training to become P.A.C.E. certified teachers. Built into the design of the program is Training of Teachers (TOT) for the vendor staff so that the program becomes fully integrated into the vendors operations. Gap Inc. s internal P.A.C.E. team, supported by the P.A.C.E. Design and Development Partner (Swasti Health Resource Centre, headquartered in Bangalore, India), provides ongoing support for the vendors staff to ensure successful implementation. A requirement of the program is that specific modules, e.g. General and Reproductive Health and Legal Literacy, are taught by subject matter experts. TEACHERS TOOLKIT P.A.C.E. is a flexible and adaptable program and to assist partners in ensuring that the consistency in content and quality of the program is maintained, a toolkit has been developed as an operational guide for our vendor partners. The Toolkit contains: Core Modules (Communication, Problem Solving & Decision Making, Time & Stress Management) Required Module (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Supplementary Modules (Execution Excellence, Health, Financial Literacy, Legal Literacy & Social Entitlements) Essential Sessions (Introductory, Consolidation and Closing sessions) Operational Guides (Trainer s Guide, Quality Assurance Operational Guidelines and the Global Evaluation Reference & Operational Guide) The modules were developed in India. Therefore when they are implemented in other countries, they need to be reviewed and adapted, as appropriate, to incorporate the local context. In addition to receiving a hard copy of the learning Toolkit, the materials are also available online for program implementers. 10

11 RESULTS / IMPACT Gap Inc. s Global Evaluation Partner, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), headquartered in Washington, D.C., has conducted evaluations across multiple geographies to determine whether the program is achieving the desired outcomes and impacts (both social and business). As part of the Teacher s Toolkit, ICRW has developed an Evaluation Framework and Guidelines to be used by all those implementing the program to gather specific data related to key program indicators. The Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program is unique in that it is a women s advancement program that is delivered in the workplace. While the program seeks to create a change in women s personal lives (Personal Advancement), it also seeks to positively influence their work lives (Career Enhancement). Thus, the evaluation carves out social and business outcome indicators as defined below. SOCIAL IMPACT The social impact looks at two key outcomes: Self-efficacy: A person s belief in her ability to produce the desired results through her own actions. Self-esteem: Awareness of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life, and feeling worthy of happiness. BUSINESS IMPACT The business impact looks at the following outcomes: Work efficacy: Ability to demonstrate aptitude, take initiative, and meet work-related deadlines resulting in increased productivity and improved quality of products. Influence on the workplace: Deeper understanding and improved professional relationship with co-workers, and ability to communicate problems effectively as well as garner support for oneself and one s peers. The short-term outcomes of the program such as higher self and work efficacy, improved communication, a better, more collegial workplace environment, higher self-esteem, improved knowledge of health, and improved financial efficacy have been evaluated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 11

12 The P.A.C.E. program also envisages longer-term outcomes that emerge some time after the women have gone through the program. Some of these are increased and sustained use of life skills; ability to make strategic choices related to opportunities for themselves and their families; and the capability to advance professionally and grow in their careers. These long-term outcomes were assessed by ICRW in 2010, whereby they conducted a follow-up study with the first group of P.A.C.E. participants (which had completed the program in 2008) at the initial sites in Delhi and Bangalore. An additional follow-up study was conducted by ICRW in 2012 in Cambodia (where the program launched in 2009). The findings from both follow-up studies indicate that the positive impacts of the P.A.C.E. program have not only been sustained, but also deepened and widened over the twoyear period since the program was implemented. Women have been able to apply their learning to their workplace and their personal lives, and were also able to transfer it to their peers and family members. The graphs below show some of the findings from evaluations of the P.A.C.E. program conducted from in six factory sites two in India and one each in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam. GLOBAL IMPROVEMENTS IN KEY INDICATORS 1 Self-Esteem Self-Efficacy Work Efficacy Workplace Influence 49% 150% 119% 100% Baseline Endline 1 Each respondent received a score reflecting her answers to the questions for each indicator. Based on her score, she was classified as having either a low, moderate, or high level of self-esteem, self-efficacy, etc. The analysis reflects changes in the proportion of women reporting a high level of each indicator at baseline and endline. 12

13 VENDOR DATA In addition to the ICRW data, vendor partners have started collecting and providing data directly related to the business impact. At one factory in Indonesia, P.A.C.E. women produced on average 10% more garment pieces per hour than non-p.a.c.e. women. In Cambodia, there was 66% greater retention among P.A.C.E. participants compared to all female garment workers in the factory. P.A.C.E. women s productivity at work is 15% higher than women who did not participate in P.A.C.E. at the same factory in India. P.A.C.E. ADVANCEMENT RATES 2 15% 16% P.A.C.E. FGW Advancements Non-P.A.C.E. FGW Advancements 10% 8% 5% 5% 0% 1% 1% 1% China Factory India Factory Cambodia Factory Advancement is defined by the vendor and can include: multiple skills, promotion, wage increase (other than usual or stipulated increase), and progress to a more difficult operation. QUOTES FROM FEMALE GARMENT WORKERS AND KEY INFLUENCERS Further to the data collected by ICRW and the vendor, there are also case studies that are collected on a continual basis that support the data and demonstrate the positive impact the P.A.C.E. program has on the female garment workers. On the following page are a few examples of various testimonials given by both workers and Key Influencers. 13

14 I came through a very tough time after my husband died, having to take care of two daughters and work. P.A.C.E. brought strength to me. Now I give my daughters more guidance than orders. Our relationships are getting better, which makes me understand life itself cannot change but I can. FGW, China Thanks to the training, I feel confident to communicate openly with my supervisor and colleagues on any issue related to work assignments or bonuses, and I seek help from them rather than keep silent and feel displeased as I did before. FGW, Vietnam P.A.C.E. program is helping a lot. When we compare the P.A.C.E. trained workers with other operators, there is a lot of difference in the attitude and approach to work among the P.A.C.E. trained women. KI, India I have learned how to communicate effectively. Now I can solve any problem in the workplace by discussing it with the supervisor and line chief. Before P.A.C.E., I could not clearly discuss problems with my husband. Now I do not hesitate to talk to him and can clearly express any idea or problem. FGW, Bangladesh Earlier I was not getting up in time, and arriving late at work; getting admonished for unpunctuality was the usual practice. Now I have adopted a time table, I get up early, and get my children ready for school. I realize that if we come to work on time, we will not have as much tension at work. FGW, Vietnam Now they are friendlier, they help each other and ask each other in line or ask me for clarification when they do not understand. KI, Cambodia The FGWs communication has improved, as they speak politely. We definitely see positive changes in them. These changes have also contributed to increased production; earlier a lot of time was wasted in arguments. KI, India I observed after P.A.C.E., workers were becoming more passionate about their work and so they worked faster. This leads to an increase in productivity. KI, Indonesia 14

15 COLLECTIVE IMPACT VENDOR MANAGEMENT FGWs are more punctual Increased productivity and efficiency FEMALE GARMENT WORKERS Increased knowledge of life skills and technical skills Greater opportunities to advance FAMILIES, CO-WORKERS & CO UNITY Enhanced status and relationships within family units and in community Improved peer relationships and teamwork among colleagues A BENEFIT FOR ONE = A BENEFIT FOR ALL The P.A.C.E. program is creating a shared value whereby all key stakeholders benefit. 15

16 Partners Key to the successful design and development of this program was Gap Inc. s partnership with ICRW, and Swasti Health Resource Centre. ICRW Since 2005, ICRW has served as a partner to Gap Inc. to provide strategic guidance, research and technical support for the design and development of the P.A.C.E. program. ICRW continues to serve as Gap Inc. s global evaluation partner. SWASTI In 2006 Swasti Health Resource Centre was selected to partner with Gap Inc. and ICRW to design, develop and implement the program in India. Swasti continues to be the primary training and quality assurance partner as the program grows in size and geographic scope, as well as a key partner in developing new content. VENDORS The selected vendors are critical to the success of the program as they provide access to the workplace and to the program participants, and identify internal resources for program implementation, support and sustainability. As of May 2015, 40 Gap Inc. vendors in 10 countries have committed to or are currently implementing the program. P.A.C.E. IN COMMUNITY Through partnership with CARE International and Swasti, Gap Inc. expanded P.A.C.E. beyond the factory setting into communities in Cambodia and India in 2013, and Bangladesh, Haiti, Indonesia, and Myanmar in Gap Inc. plans to expand into communities in Jordan and Guatemala in

17 In the media How Companies are Bridging the Opportunity Divide to Find Tomorrow s Leaders, GOOD, October Stanford Panel: Transforming Lives Just Business as Usual, The Daily Beast, October Transforming Lives: A Smart Business Strategy, Forbes, October On March 8, 2013 the Huffington Post published a blog by Bobbi Silten, President, Gap Foundation and Senior Vice President, Global Responsibility for Gap Inc., in which she interviews former Ambassador-at-Large for Women s Global Issues How Investing in Women Can Transform Their Communities Too, GOOD, March Women s Work Is the World s Work, The Daily Beast, March Global Women s Initiative Reaps Great Rewards, Forbes, March Meet Sujatha, Garment Worker and Community Leader, GOOD Video, January Finding Leaders on the Factory Floor: Gap Inc. s P.A.C.E. Program, The Daily Beast, January Introducing P.A.C.E.: Empowering Female Workers Around the World, January President Bill Clinton referenced P.A.C.E. in the 2012 Time Magazine article The Case for Optimism 17

18 Learn more at gap.com/pace