The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) plans to form a Cambodia Garment Training Institute. It is seeking technical advisors to assist in creating the institute. French development body, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), loaned GMAC approximately $3 million and the association has since begun advertising for advisors to support and formulate curricula for students who wish to enter the garment business.

Some courses will be long-term and offered to 240 young people with no garment background and short-term courses will be offered to 1,600 people who are already a part of the garment industry. Both these course will be offered every year. About 700,000 people are employed in the country’s garment sector, but the new institute aims to replace more than 8,000 skilled expatriate-held positions with competent local personnel. This would help increase the local industry’s sustainability.

GMAC, with its institute hopes to fill the current gap of 4,000 skilled workers by training enough people per year.