DUSHANBE, June 28, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Twenty trainers from Tajik and Kyrgyz clothing companies were introduced to the unique methodology of “3G Tailor” of Rajesh Bheda Consulting (www.rajeshbheda.com), a leading consulting company on the clothing industry in Asia, which reduces the training time drastically by about 75% and improves trainee efficiency.

Saidmumin Kamolov, National Program Manager, Trade Promotion Program in Tajikistan International Trade Center UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), told Asia-Plus on June 17-27, the program “Train the Trainer” was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to train the Industrial Sewing Machine Operators representing Tajik and Kyrgyz clothing companies, with the expectation that the participants would implement this knowledge in their companies and train local staff.  Tajikistan was represented by Dushanbe’s clothing factories “Guliston” and “Dilorom” and Khujand’s “Zinat” and “Textile City”.

The training was held under ITC’s Trade Promotion Program in Kyrgyzstan and the participation of Tajik companies was supported by the Trade Promotion Program in Tajikistan, both of which are financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

As mentioned in meetings with the heads of Tajik and Kyrgyz textile and clothing companies, one of the biggest problems they face today is employee shortage and migration. The enterprises are struggling to train new workers due to their financial inability to invite experienced trainers. Rajesh Bheda Consulting (RBC)’s “3G Tailor” program was organized to address this issue.

The program aimed to equip the trainers to train sewing workers in less than a week’s time.  The RBC''s “3G Tailor” has provided dramatic results in leading factories in Sri Lanka, India, China and the UK.  The participants learned the principles of adult learning, effective communication, feedback and coaching skills. Videos showing international best practices were used for analyzing the methods of high performance operators and developing training programs for training specific skills.

This ten-day course was conducted by the ITC international consultants Mr. Paul Collyer and Dr. Rajesh Bheda. Mr. Collyer has over 40 years of experience in managing clothing factories, conducting “Train the Trainer” and providing consulting advice to factories in the UK, India, China, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Syria  and Morocco.  Many of the Tajik and Kyrgyz clothing companies participating in the ITC projects have improved their productivity by 10% to 25% during the last 18 months by following the advice of Dr. Rajesh Bheda. The defect rates have gone down and employee engagement and team work have improved.

The overall objective of Trade Promotion Program in Tajikistan is to contribute to the sustainable expansion and diversification of SMEs’ exports in Tajikistan, by increasing the competitiveness of the textile and clothing industry and improving the quality management infrastructure of the country. This project is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).