ECONOMYNEXT – Brandix, one of Sri Lanka’s top apparel exporters and the biggest employer in the industry, has set up a training facility with the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) to overcome a skilled worker shortage.
A statement said the Brandix – CINEC Centre of Excellence (BCCE), will facilitate joint training programmes and research for the apparel sector.
The Brandix Group, which employs 60,000 people globally, has also signed agreements with the Vocational Technical Authority of Sri Lanka (VTA) to provide qualifications for garment technicians and recruit schools leavers with training as Industrial Sewing Machine Operators.
“The focus of this initiative is to shape well-rounded individuals, following through on our commitment to create and foster inspired people,” said Ishan Dantanarayana, Chief People Officer of the Brandix Group.
“We want to unleash the technical and leadership potential of our people through a carefully curated, comprehensive learning and development process in collaboration with CINEC to create the next layer of talent to take the industry on an inspired journey.”
Brandix has also signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the VTA.
One is to create an NVQ Level 5 equivalent qualification for Garment Technicians, the first of that level in the apparel industry.

The other is to enable Brandix to identify and employ school leavers who have received a three-month training as Industrial Sewing Machine Operators at the VTA’s island-wide network of vocational training centres.

The learning received at BCCE will be further enhanced with the support and guidance of the VTA to align the programme content with that of the nationally-accepted NVQ qualification equivalent to a Diploma, Dantanarayana said.

The Brandix – CINEC Centre of Excellence is located within the Malabe campus of CINEC, one of the largest non-state sector higher education institutions in Sri Lanka.
The BCCE will initially cater to the Associates and Supervisory grade employees of Brandix, offering programmes covering technical topics and behavioural aspects as part of the curriculum at a later stage

economynext.com