The Wheels of Garment Industry
Garment Industry
Garment Industry – Among the basic elements of industrial production–man, machine and materials–managing human beings is the most complicated one. It is at the core of the matter. Unfortunately, in most of the cases, this core element does not get proper attention from the top rank in the hierarchy of a management. Like any other organisations, the activities of readymade garment factories can be divided into two key functions:
Line – those are directly involved with production, the key function of the industry and Staff – those who provide assistance to production. Read more about RMG in Bangladesh- A Study on Social Compliance
According to the wage grade (Bangladesh Gazettes in 2006, 2010, 2013 on Minimum Wage Board) employees of the readymade garments (RMG) industry are divided into two categories, a) workers – those are differentiated into seven grades (1-7) according to their skills and experiences and b) employees – who are not directly involved in production but they help in production, delivering their services, divided into four different grades (1-4). There are many other important functions which have been skipped in the wage grade.
Readymade garment is a labour-intensive industry. Proper labour management is very important for the industry as cost of wages and salaries is the single highest cost in the manufacturing process.
The aim of human resource department (HRD) in an organisation is to improve performance of the employees as well as the organisation. The main focuses of human resource department are the following:
l Selection of the right person in the right place at the right time. The HRD is to prepare job description and specification against each position and to identify the required number of employees in any particular job to avoid over staffing.
l Training and development – To provide the employees with knowledge and skills needed to do a particular task or job and to make them ready for future challenges, adapting attitude with changes.
l Organisational development – To increase effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation and well-being of its members through planned interventions applying behavioural science concepts.
l Career management – To help the individuals to make their career plans according to their skills, ability and potential.
In any discussion or in an article on the Bangladesh RMG industry without mentioning the Desh Garments Ltd (DGL), the very first factory designed for 100 per cent export, would be incomplete. The state of HRD during the last decades in our RMG industry and its status at the DGL back in 1979 can be reviewed to set a present-time benchmark for the HRD in the RMG industry. An organisation is known by its management and it performs as its members do. Organisational culture is the culture of its owners. The man behind the initiatives at the DGL then had a clear vision about the industry. Mr Noorul Quader (Khan), a valiant freedom fighter, who discarded his title ‘Khan’ in protest against the role of the Pakistani rulers during the liberation war of Bangladesh, started with a single garment factory which ultimately produced hundreds of future entrepreneurs in the industry. The standard that he engraved in the HRD in his factory back in 1979 can still be the cornerstone of the present RMG industry.
Through an advertisement in the national dailies, Mr. Quader then recruited a group of meritorious students from different disciplines from across the country. Some of the engineers whom he had recruited had overseas degrees and a few of them had overseas job experiences. A handsome remuneration package was offered at that time to attract the future entrepreneurs in the industries. Mr Quader arranged training for all his recruited staff in South Korea for six months under joint collaboration with the Daewoo Corporation. An orientation course was conducted at the ‘Institute of Business Administration’ (IBA), the University of Dhaka, the most prestigious academic institute in the country. This single example is more than enough to justify his HR approach. The DGL produced a number of successful RMG business leaders. Unfortunately many of them did not take any lesson from Mr Quader’s HR approach.
There were many favourable conditions, both national and international, behind the ‘hockey-stick growth’ of the industry. In 1984, the number of export-oriented readymade garments factories was 384 and within a decade in 1994, that number shot up to 2,182.
The dramatic decline of jute’s share in Bangladesh’s export earnings had a huge impact on the livelihoods of poor jute growers in the country. Uncertainty of regular works for the day labourers in agriculture sector had pushed them to urban areas where many alternative sources of employments were available. At the same time, growth of the RMG sector had pulled workers from rural areas to urban centres with a strong possibility for employment there. The supply of surplus workers from villages helped in the rapid growth of the RMG factories. All these had happened when ‘human side’ of the workers was hardly in consideration.
A chronological diagram can be drawn to explain the past and present status of the HRDs in readymade garments industry in the country.
The period from the beginning until 2000, was a heaven for the production manager and hell for the workers.
Though garment business is always positive in terms of profit, the perception of the society about the sector still remains negative on account of working environment, workers’ wage etc. Once the term ‘garment factory’ was perceived as a place where anything was possible in terms of mismanagement. Breaking all the norms, values and principles of labour rights, maximum utilisation of labour with minimum expenses/benefits was given top priority to ensure highest possible profit. Qualified and adequate number of staff used to be considered as a waste of money by the businesses. A tendency continued to run the business with minimum possible number of staffs offering them lower package, never considering their quality and hard work. It was accepted to the management if any staff engaged himself/herself in line function contributed directly to the production and helped earn some extra profits to the owner.
From the very initial stage of the industry until the compulsion of compliance, as a precondition of business, there was nothing about human resource development (HRD). To maintain the payroll, a job of time-keeper was created to record workers’ ‘in-and-out’ time and to keep record of over time (OT) work. This core activity, associated with payment, was being controlled by the production manager (PM) concerned, the then most powerful and unchallenged authority. In most of the cases, the PM and the FM (Factory Manager) was the same. Keeping behavioural approach, human psychology, legal rational demand etc aside, most of the owners were dependent on so-called managers. When dependency and authority go to the persons of less capability and capacity, abuse of power and position could appear as a regular phenomenon. Unfortunately, those incidents in our readymade garment industry gave a negative message on work environment of the industry. No restriction on workers’ age, no control of working hours, disregarding of norms and values on working condition etc took the upper hand in the industry till the year 2000. Sexual harassment, deduction of workers’ hard-earned over-time (OT) hours, marking them absent even for a five-minute late arrival as a punishment and using them as personal workers were the managers’ common weapons to control the factory administration. In many cases, workers were asked to pay a percentage of their earnings from extra overtime (EOT) duty to their bosses. Both management and workers thought that the EOT was the privilege for the workers to earn more, so those workers who maintained a good relation with their bosses only were allowed in the extra earning net. For the workers it was difficult, even three decades back, to meet very basic needs without OT work. From the selection process to duty assignment to wages determination, all the activities related to personnel management were the functions of the production manager. In the first decade of the industry, in most of the cases, the production manager himself or his trusted one was assigned to keep the record of workers’ daily attendance and working hours. So, the production manager, apart from production duties, used to control the personnel issues as well.
Mohammad Hasan
email-mohammadhasanbg@gmail.com
Learning and Earning Digital Center LEDC
Learning and Earning Digital Center
Learning and Earning Digital Center A center for Human Resources and Organizational Development through Education, Training, Consultancy & Research
Bangladesh is the heavily densely populated and 8th most populous country in the world. With minimum natural resources at present total 1291 people live in per square kilometer land. Bangladesh is going to celebrate her 50 years anniversary in 2021. To celebrate the Golden Jubilee gloriously Government and different sectors have setup various targets. Upgradation of economic condition from least developed to developing country is the common of all of their goals. To achieve that target Human Resources development is the key.
Bangladesh as an emerging economy with around 7 + GDP growth needs up skilling of her huge population through proper education, effective training, generating employment ensuring empowerment and protecting environment. Enhancing human resource’s skill is the key while all the issues are interdependent and integrated. The Learning and Earning Digital Center360 emphasizes the issues on holistic approaches focusing 360-degree angle for the continuation of current growth and sustainable development. Education, Training, Consultancy and Research are the major areas of activities of the Learning and Earning Digital Center360.
Learning and Earning Digital Center360 is an initiative of the proven professionals and experts on different areas. They all came together with a conclusion that without human resource’s skill enhancement all other endeavors for sustainable development will be in vain. The team members have on the job experiences along with the highest academic background. They all have hands on experience and are aware of the gap between industrial needs and academic curricular. To reduce the gap and to make fit for the industry as human resources Learning and Earning Digital Center360 has been started its journey.
Vision:
To be a part in turning the country’s population as human capital not liability
Mission:
To provide Educational consultancy to the students.
To offer training to the professionals and make the potential candidates ready for the jobs.
To uphold women empowerment and protect environment
To conduct research for the sustainable development Learning and Earning Digital Center
Why Choose Centre of Excellence for Education and Training ( Learning and Earning Digital Center )
Learning and Earning Digital Center is a joint initiative of highly educated and service oriented Chinese and Bangladeshi people. Learning and Earning Digital Center can help you match the most suitable city, university and program for you base on your condition and requirement from a professional point of view, also give you the right advice on your career planning. Learning and Earning Digital Center have strong Chinese service team in south of china Guangdong province Shenzhen city, they will provide service, health care, language support and any help you may need while you moving to and living in china, make you feel at home and remove the worries of your family and friends. Learning and Earning Digital Center takes care of your visa, you just need to provide your passport and relevant document, the rest of complicate job will be handled by Learning and Earning Digital Center. CEED have strong cooperate relationship with different universities, we can increase the chance of successful applications, help you hold your dreams and make it come true.
We provide
Application assessment & Submission, Document process quick admission process, Guidance for obtaining, Scholarship Air Ticket, Airport Pickup, Visa Application Guidance, Pre-departure briefing.
Why China as your academic destination?
There are 2,914 colleges and Learning and Earning Digital Center in China, Including 2,631 colleges and universities (including 265 independent colleges) and 283 colleges and universities for adults. There are 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, 2 special administrative regions; 50 regions (states, alliances); 661 cities.
Whether you intend to secure a graduate job or continue studying at postgraduate level, the reputation of your university is important for your future prospects.
Chinese universities are increasingly well respected; the number included in major global university rankings has risen significantly over the past five years, particularly compared with the UK, which has fallen in many rankings.
In 2011, there were only six Chinese universities in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, whereas in 2015-2017 there were 37, more than either Canada or Australia.
You’ll be joining a growing trend
China is an increasingly popular destination for students from around the world, with the number of international students in China doubling in the past 10 years.
China is already the fourth most popular destination for travel generally and has the third-largest population of international students, behind the US and the UK.
This number has been growing by an average of 10 per cent a year for the past 10 years, a far quicker growth rate than any other popular study-abroad destination.
There are more options than ever
Over the past 10 years, international visitors and students have been going “deeper” into China, choosing to travel to a wider range of cities than before.
In the past, Shanghai and Beijing were the only cities where it was common to see international students.
In 2006, nearly 50 per cent of international students were in Beijing or Shanghai, but this has fallen to 32 per cent.
Today, there are 13 cities across China with more than 10,000 international students, with seven cities having more than 20,000 students.
Popular cities include Guangdong in the south of China and Liaoning, north of Beijing.
The government is investing heavily in international students
Financial support is an important factor in the decision to study abroad and the Chinese government is offering a wide range of funding opportunities to attract international students, including more than 40,000 scholarships at 277 institutions.
In 2015, 40 per cent of all international students new to China received government sponsorship. The number of scholarships available has increased fivefold since 2006.
It could be great for your career
Knowledge and experience of China is an increasingly valuable asset in many industries.
As the fourth most popular destination for international travel, with nearly 12 million business trips to China in 2015, the country is growing in economic and cultural significance.
Experience of China and Chinese, which is the third most popular language to learn in the world, could give you a great career boost.
It’s within your reach
Learning and Earning Digital Center – Studying and living in China is cheaper than studying and living in European countries, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and many other countries.
For example, for non-EU citizens the tuition fee for The cost of living can even reach up to 13,000 pounds. Meanwhile, the United States and Australia have the world’s most expensive tuition fees.
Admission Requirements of Chinese Universities
In accordance with different levels of degree, Chinese universities have different requirements for all enrollees. Before applying, you must carefully review these requirements.
• Usually, non-degree language and culture programs have minimum requirements; as long as you have obtained a high school diploma, you can apply for admission.
• Chinese-medium degree programs (i.e. degree programs taught in Mandarin Chinese) require the applicant to provide HSK results to prove their Chinese language proficiency. Applicants for master’s degrees also need to provide a copy of transcripts and recommendation letters.
• English-medium programs do not require HSK results. Instead, applicants for English-medium programs should provide recognized English proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS. (English native speakers or those who hold an academic degree taught in English need not provide test scores).
• More and more universities are starting to offer international programs taught in English. These programs will no longer require HSK examination results and are suitable for international applicants.
Application and Admission Requirements for Study
Application and Admission Requirements
Application and Admission Requirements – This is a list of requirements for different programs: (Applicants may search for degree programs by degree level according to your personal educational background and the following requirements.)
Application and Admission Requirements Charts
| Type of Student | Application and admission requirements | Required HSK level | Study time |
| Short-term student | Secondary High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level, successful completion of Year 12, etc).In some of China’s universities, any education background is accepted. | No requirement | 1 – 20 weeks |
| Language student | Secondary High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level, successful completion of Year 12, etc). | No requirement | 1 – 2 years |
| Undergraduate or associate student | Secondary High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level, successful completion of Year 12, etc). | HSK level 4-6 (for Chinese-medium programs) | Undergraduate student: 4 – 5 years; Associate students: 2 – 3 years |
| Master’s degree student | Possession of a Bachelor’s degree, at least two letters of recommendation from professors. | HSK level 5-8 (for Chinese-medium programs) | 2 – 3 years |
| Doctoral student | Possession of a Master’s degree, at least two recommendations from professors. | HSK level 5-8 (for Chinese-medium programs) | 3 years |
| Transfer student | Student who is studying at another Chinese university should provide a sealed transfer letter from the Foreign Students’ Office of current university; and meet other requirements according to degree level. | Depending | Depending |
- Required HSK Level: For more on HSK/Chinese Proficiency Test. Each school sets its own requirements.
- Normally, a transfer student will not be accepted by any of the Chinese universities.
Please note that GCSE holders are not admitted onto degree programs by China’s universities; those students should apply for a one year program of Pre-College training at the chosen university.
Application Schedule ( Application and Admission Requirements )
Full-time universities’ academic year in China normally contains two semesters, Spring semester and Autumn semester, except for a few ones implementing 3-semester system. The first semester starts on autumn of each year, requiring fully submission of materials between late February and late July of that year; and the second starts on spring, receiving materials between late October and late January starting from the previous year to the current year. But the dates are generally set, hence, it is important to figure out every university’s specific application deadline for each semester, and when it comes to those universities of 3-semester system, it becomes more significant.
Programs Start and its’ duration
China’s universities offer thousands of programs for foreign students. Non-degree programs teaching Chinese language and culture are particularly popular, but it is also possible to earn a degree in China. Most degree programs are taught in Chinese and therefore require a certain level of language proficiency. However, an increasing number of English-taught degree programs are available. most degree programs have certain requirements regarding the applicant’s academic background and language skills.
Degree programs are generally of a fixed duration, undergraduate degree programs last from four to five-years, master’s degrees for two to three years, and doctorate degrees for three to five years. Language programs are mainly one semester (4-6 months), one year or short-term (anywhere from 1-8 weeks). Application and Admission Requirements
Degree programs: At most Chinese universities degree programs begin every autumn (September). A small number of programs can admit students beginning in the spring semester.
Language programs: one-semester (4-6 months) language course usually begin in both semesters (in which start in September and February/March); one year language programs usually begin during autumn (September); some short-term courses run according to a fixed times while others may operate on an on-demand basis at the request of a group of students. Short-term summer programs have start dates throughout June, July and August, and last between 1-8 weeks. Application and Admission Requirements
First come First serve
When the starting date comes, the university usually commences to accept applications. If a student is qualified, an offer will be made afterwards. There are limited places for every batch of every major, therefore, being an early bird to submit the application will help you gain a bigger chance to be matriculated, and for some courses, even a bigger chance for winning a scholarship. End of Application and Admission Requirements
Application Qualifications for Different University
Application Qualifications
Application Qualifications for Different University. You can read more
| Sl No | Criteria for Application Qualifications |
| 1 | Applicants shall be students |
| 2 | Age 18 – 40 Bachelor/Non-degree program —> 18 ~ 25 years old; Master —> Under 30 years old; PhD —-> Under 40 years old. For Non-degree and Bachelor, some universities accept students under 18 years old For Master and PhD program, some universities accept students over than the age requirement mentioned they prefers younger applicant, especially for scholarship application |
| 3 | Language Proficiency To Apply for Program taught in English, applicant should have at least IELTS 5.5 or equal level for Bachelor, IELTS 6 or equal level for Master and PhD. To Apply for Program taught in Chinese, applicant should have at least HSK 4 for Bachelor, HSK 5 for Master, HSK 6 for PhD Some universities has lower requirements on certain program Some universities offer 1+N program to allow students to study without English or Chinese knowledge |
| 4 | Highest Education For Non-degree and Bachelor program, applicant should be graduated from Senior High/A-level/Grade 12. Before enter Master program, applicant has to graduate from Bachelor. Before enter PhD program, applicant has to graduate from Master. Applicant can apply for program before they graduate |
| 5 | Health Applicant should be healthy. Applicant should provide valid physical examination form when apply for student visa. |
| 6 | Applicants’ average score should be 80% or more, The average score of the student’s senior high should be higher than 75% and should not be less than 70% in a single subject |
| 7 | Applicants must abide by the laws and regulations of the Chinese government |
| 8 | Applicants that have not received other sorts of fund or scholarship could apply for the scholarship It will be much easier for your student to get admission as self-sponsoring student |
Documents Need to Provide
| Sl No | Document Type (Different university requires different documents) |
| 1 | Application form for Application Qualifications |
| 2 | Physical Examination form |
| 3 | Notarized highest diploma/ Graduation Certificate |
| 4 | Academic transcripts |
| 5 | Recommendation Letter from high school (From professors or associate professors or equivalents). |
| 6 | Study plan / Research Plan( no less than 500 words) |
| 7 | Applicants should have good academic marks |
| 8 | Certificate of English/Chinese language proficiency |
| 9 | A copy of valid passport |
| 10 | Photograph |
| 11 | Non- Criminal Certificate |
| 12 | Financial Support Documents / Bank Statement |
| 13 | Resume |
| 14 | Work Experience Certificate ( If have ) |
| 15 | Application Qualifications any academic award certificate |
Scholarship Awarding Ceremony
In the light of the above corporate citizenship, Auto Group is set to fulfill its social obligation through a board range of actives. Among them Auto group presumed that Education is the foremost tool for social change and patronizes underprivileged yet talented students of the country in order to offer them equal opportunity of a bright future. The group managed to reach out to a number of those champion performers in hardship and offered scholarship among the numerous poor but meritorious student who have successfully passed the S.S.C exam since in 2008 to till date across the country and really in need of finance assistance to continue their studies further and also monitor their progress throughout the year.
International Development UK Minister Visited Bd
International Development UK Minister Visited Bd
International Development UK Minister Visited Bd -Mr. Alfdfdan Honorable minister of International Development of the UK visited a factory run by Auto Group during his tour of Bangladesh on June 5th 2011. He met the workers, staff, and members of the management and the board of directors in the corporate office and the factory of Auto Group. He discussed with them about the safety standards of the company. He also talked with a certain group of workers in private and apparently seemed impressed. Thereafter in front of the media, citing the Rana Plaza collapse on 24th April 2013, he emphasized the need for improved work place security and safety measures to catch up with the rapid growth in the garment sector, which is a massive success story and must not be allowed to go sour.
First secretary, SRHR, Education and Gender, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, recently visited Softy a CSR (Corporate Social Culture) project of Auto Group. On 2nd March 2015, They highly appreciated after witnessing the successful ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) project of the group. They shared their feelings and wished if they could contribute to bring our erp project elsewhere in Bangladesh beyond the boundary of Auto Group. They are supposed to come back to us with their proposals. They also expressed their desire of visiting us again in future.
Warm Clothes Distribution
Each year Auto Group distributes warm clothes to the cold affected people of northern districts of Bangladesh.Our sea freight service offers our customers efficient safe, secure and cost effective solutions. We are conveniently located surrounding to the port of Chittagong assuring you of quick processing of your cargo from the port. Our affiliated agent worldwide enables us to pick and deliver your cargo to major ports across the globe. Our wide experience in sea freight spans gives us confidence to assure our customers of customized, flexible, fast and efficient seafreight coupled with tailor made rates to ensure value for the customer
This year also the group distributed blanket, shawl, jacket, sweater and other warm clothes amongst six thousand people of Tangail District December. Upazila Chairman, UNOs, local leaders and representatives of the local government led the distribution programme. On behalf of Auto organized distribution of warm clothes. From children to oldsters all people of that area who needed the clothes gathered for collecting their shares in a cheering mood.