Garment industry trying to sew up more tailors
Garment industry trying to sew up more tailors
The Lao garment industry needs 10,000 more tailors each year to supply clothing factories as there is a lack of skilled labour for the sector in the country.
Last year, Laos could supply only 110 tailors for the garment industry, far below what is required in this fast growing sector.
Director of the Garment Skills Development Centre (GDC), Ms Borivon Phafong told Vientiane Times recently about the problems facing the Lao garment industry during the training of tailoring teachers from the provinces of Xieng Khuang, Huaphan, Phongsaly, Borikhamxay, Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu.
The training is supported by the GIZ-Teacher Education Programme and is aimed to encourage trainees to become trainers as part of the push to improve labour skills for the future.
Ms Borivon explained that at present, there were 30,000 labourers working in garment factories with the main centres in Vientiane and Savannakhet.
There were also companies planning to open new garment factories but they were still concerned about being able to supply enough local tailors.
However, she believed the garment industry would continue to grow for another two years after Laos became a part of the Asean Economic Community.
Laos is attracting investors to the garment industry as it is granted special developing nation status for its trade exports making them exempt from import taxes going into many other countries. Lao workers are also admired as being spirited but harmonious who respect their employers.
Regarding the challenges, Ms Borivon said the centre was working in cooperation with concerned authorities, especially the Ministry of Education and Sports, targeting young people to change their views to see the importance of learning vocational subjects.
For example, learning tailoring for the garment industry would see them easily employed as the jobs are in high demand.
Laos didn't have many vocation schools able to teach tailoring which was different to several other Asean countries that already had these schools to serve their garment industries.
Therefore, the centre would hopefully produce more trainers and with the cooperation of the concerned authorities encourage more Lao tailors into the country's garment industry, she added.
