A second batch of Brandix associates that completed the Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) programme for female workers in the apparel industry graduated recently at Brandix Apparel Solutions Limited (BASL) – Casualwear, Ratmalana.
The batch comprised of 143 associates and took the number of Brandix associates that have completed the P.A.C.E. course to date to 293.
The P.A.C.E. programme is a life and work skills education programme designed by Gap Inc. to positively impact female garment workers in factories that manufacture for the label. The programme provides workers with foundational skills, technical training and support to help them advance in the workplace and in their personal lives. 
The course comprises of eight modules of life skills education including Communication; Problem Solving &Decision Making; Time &Stress Management; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Financial Literacy; Legal Literacy&Social Entitlement; General &Reproductive Health; and Execution Excellence. Research shows P.A.C.E. graduates are more productive, have lower rates of absenteeism and are promoted faster than factory workers who do not participate in the programme. The P.A.C.E. programme is run in apparel factories in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
“The content of the P.A.C.E. course has been proven to motivate and empower female workers to progress in their careers,” Anusha Alles, Head of CSR & Corporate Communications at Brandix said. “This is an aspect that Brandix remains committed to as a Group, and we are greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm of our associates to follow the course and obtain P.A.C.E. certification.”
In another example of the Group’s commitment to the empowerment of female employees, Brandix recently graduated 19 female mechanics who completed an in-house training course on sewing machine maintenance and repair.
Ranked Sri Lanka’s most valuable export brand in 2016 by Brand Finance, Brandix is the country’s single largest apparel exporter. The pioneer of the concept of ‘total solutions’ in Sri Lanka’s apparel sector and a preferred supplier to some of the top retail brands in the US and Europe, Brandix is also a benchmark and international award winner for eco-friendly manufacture and commitment to environmental best practice.