25 February 2017.
Managua – Better Work Nicaragua, with the support of the National Commission of Free Zones (CNZF), has launched the special graduate program “Management of Labor Productivity”, which is specific for production managers and supervisors of the manufacturing industry of the country.
“There are three aspects that define the competitiveness of our apparel industry: cost, quality, and lead-times. These aspects are directly linked to productivity, and to build a more solid industry, Better Work Nicaragua is promoting this specialized course so that together we can meet the challenges of the global market,” said Blanca Peralta, Coordinator of Better Work Nicaragua during her speech at the Central American University to launch the programme.
According to Alberto Legall, a training officer for Better Work Nicaragua, “the Labor Productivity Management course is a good fit for improving and strengthening the skills of industry managers and supervisors and to continue the work of Better Work Nicaragua.”
The specific objectives of the course are:
The course lasted almost three months and participants had the opportunity to learn and share experiences to see how good practices can be implemented from one factory to another. This specialization course was attended by representatives of the entire manufacturing industry, including a shoe factory and 25 representatives of the clothing sector.
Similarly, last year, Better Work Nicaragua, with the collaboration of the Central American University of Nicaragua (UCA), promoted and launched the “Specialization Course in Labor and Social Compliance Management” for intermediate managers.
The link between working conditions, productivity and the positive impact this has on the bottom line of factories has always been known, if difficult to prove. In 2016 Tufts University published an independent impact study to understand more about the positive effects of the Better Work programme. The results yielded interesting data, such as an average 22% increase in productivity in factory lines after the participation of supervisors in the programme.
Better Work Nicaragua continues to provide support to the textile and apparel industry of the country, addressing and evaluating areas of opportunity. These tasks are performed through training and advisory services. Better Work Nicaragua has also focused its efforts on improving relationships with and between stakeholders to improve broad institutional capacities with the aim of improving the country’s economy the attracting new investment.