Collaboration with the Indian Apparel Export Promotion Council
Corporate social responsibility has taken hold today as a force driving the management of human resources in apparel and textile production facilities around the world. Whether imposed as a condition for engagement between buyers and suppliers or a manufacturer’s unilateral voluntary undertaking to conform to global initiatives such at the UN’s Global Compact, managers in the apparel and textile sector need to know about CSR and its relation to enterprise human resource management. This 16-week course of study – a joint undertaking of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Indian Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) – is designed to give students a thorough understanding of CSR as it is applied to human resource issues at enterprises in the apparel and footwear sector.
The program is organized into 3 broad areas:I. Introduction to corporate social responsibility
II. CSR as a driver of strategic human resource management
III. CSR in the enterprise and at the factory
The program will expose and elaborate invaluable background on the fundamentals of compliance with labour standards for enhancing work environment while preparing professionals for taking CSR compliance to a higher level, focusing on the sustainability of results, rather than ad hoc “merry-go-round” inspection auditing.
Beginning in 2007, the program will be presented over 16 weeks, with five session meetings weekly, each three hours long. Session presenters include local and international specialists in CSR and human resource management, supported by materials specially designed for this unique course of study. Study visits to factories will be interspersed throughout the course plan. To ensure a dynamic exchange of views and experience in the process of developing skills and expanding knowledge, targeted course participants will have a broad range of backgrounds and interests, including:- Managers and professionals working in the textile and clothing sector who want to learn more about the interrelationship between global supply chains and their management, the implementation of CSR within strategic management systems, and human resource management;
- Professionals working with monitoring agencies, brands, NGO’s, and suppliers’ agents who are interested in progressing from conventional auditing to a sustainable compliance model for implementing CSR;
- New graduates looking for a professional course that will give them the additional specialized background to find professional opportunities with export houses, export factories as compliance managers, welfare managers, human resource managers, strategic managers.