BFC started in 2001 as the foundational programme of Better Work, which is a joint programme between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. BFC has been instrumental in improving working conditions in the garment sector while increasing the competitiveness of Cambodia as a smart sourcing destination.
With over 660 participating factories, employing more than 645,000 workers of which approximately 80% are women, BFC is committed to gender equity and empowerment in the workplace and aims to improve the lives of workers, their families and communities as well as the competitiveness of Cambodian garment, travel goods and bag sector and footwear factories in the global market.
The learning part of our process takes place through advisory factory visits, training and industry seminars.
Our innovative training courses for factory representatives support and reinforce the advisory work through detailed instruction on how to tackle problem areas and improve workplace relations. BFC provides practical training to managers, supervisors and workers that helps them to create safer and better working environments, constructive workplace relations, and effective systems.
With extensive experience in factories in Cambodia and building on best practices from around the world, BFC’s training programmes are tailored to meet different needs of diverse industry audiences. Over the years, BFC has helped thousands of garment and footwear managers and workers to strengthen their knowledge and skills and apply them to improve their workplaces. In 2015 alone, BFC provided 76 training courses to 1863 participants.
Explore the training courses offered in Cambodia
This introductory 5S training course is designed to assist factories in setting up the key systems and processes required to implement 5S effectively. The 5S – Sustain, Sort, Straighten, Shine, and Standardize – approach will help factories to identify, reduce and eliminate waste, enhance operational effectiveness, and improve the working environment. Participants on this course will be strongly aware of how effective 5S management techniques can help businesses improve productivity and competitiveness. By applying such techniques, participants can establish effective systems that identify, reduce and eliminate waste, Enhance operational effectiveness and improve the working environment.
Accidents are always happening in the factories due to the operation of machines by the human and the unsafe working environment. Accidents are the cost, the effective accidents investigation can help to reduce the cost and bring harmonized and safe working conditions to the employees and workers. The training introduces the effective procedures of accident investigation and causes analysis in order to develop the effective solutions so that participants can apply in their factories to ensure that accidents cost is reduced, business continuity is sustained and safe working conditions are existed.
Steam boiler is widely used in the garment and footwear factories in Cambodia to serves as ironing, drying, and steaming. Boiler hazards lead to generate high risks in the factories especially boiler explosion hazard. Recently, there were some cases of boiler explosion that killed the workers. This training guide the factories through essential precautions to mitigate the risks of fire, and explosion from the steam boilers.
The safety precaution of workers against chemical hazards is an essential part of a well-run factory and a healthy work force. This training introduces the safe use of chemicals ensuring factories mitigate the risks associated with chemicals in garment factories.
Child Labour Prevention
Collective Bargaining
This training equips participants with the knowledge and skills to design and manage factory payment and incentive schemes in a fair, equitable and consistent manner, in accordance with Cambodia’s labour law.
Clear disciplinary and termination procedures make sure that a company’s standards of conduct and performance at work are followed. This training provides factories with a built in method to understand, monitor and address human resource challenges.
Discrimination and Gender
Through effective communication in the factory, workers and managers learn to understand each other’s rights, responsibilities and resolve conflict in a fair and harmonious manner. This training outlines the steps required to the improve the communication skills of managers and workers.
Module 5 of IRLDP
Problem solving skills in the workplace means minor issues and problems do not escalate into wider conflict which can disrupt production. This training guides participants to successfully address problems within the enterprise, building trust and strengthening labour management relations in the factory.
Electrical and fire hazards are one of the biggest risks to safety in the garment and footwear sector. This training guides factories through essential precautions and behaviours to mitigate the risk of fire.
Factory Ambassadors are factory compliance staff and workers’ representatives who are empowered to have greater ownership in the factory’s improvement process. Ambassadors play a key role alongside our team to ensure Better Work support to factories continues. Participants of this programme are coached and trained to strengthen their knowledge, competencies and skills to bring long-lasting changes to their workplace, using tried and tested Better Work tools and techniques.
This training provides knowledge of freedom of association and recognition of the rights and protections of trade union organizations and workers. This goes hand in hand with lawful collective bargaining, effective dispute resolution and contributes to factories’ good industrial relations.
The supply chain competition relied on the key performance evaluation such as compliance and productivity performance. Good housekeeping with 5S tools helps removing non-value added processes by developing standard methods for doing necessary work. An effective 5S program therefore improves efficiency, quality, workflow, and employee safety. 5S is a systemized approach to organize work areas, keep rules and standards and maintain the discipline needed to do a good job.
Harassment at Workplace
Hazards are existed in the whole production areas and it can be happened anytime. Most of the accidents caused by the recognized and unforeseen hazards that impacts to the factories and workers in term of business operation and safe working conditions. This training will build and enhance the capacity of person in charge of workplace safety to know-how to identify, recognized, mitigate, and control the hazards at workplace and conduct the risk rating of those hazards for the prioritization before applying the effective the controls.
Sound Human Resource Management (HRM) is essential for a productive and compliant factory. The investment of human and financial resource is crucial for a motivated and productive workforce. This training is designed to provide participants with an in depth knowledge of highly functioning HR systems.
Industrial Relations is a two-day course focusing on how to build and maintain a good relationship between the employers and the workers in the workplace. The course explains the rights and responsibilities of the employers and the workers in order to enhance a better interaction and the cooperation in the workplace.
Grievances and conflicts are inevitable parts of the employment relationship in the workplace. This training will guides the workers, employers, trade unions and other relevant parties through the various processes of labour dispute resolution in Cambodia and assist them in managing conflict as well as promoting sound labour relations.
Factories that understand and comply with labour laws and international labour standards tend to have good reputations, repeat orders and better relationships with buyers. This course is designed to give participants a strong understanding of Cambodian Labour Law and how to apply it to day to day activities.
Good leaders are invaluable to any organization. This training is aimed at increasing the capacity of participants in their own roles as well as giving them the opportunity to develop and coach others. Good leaders know how to do the right thing, this training aims to empower participants to take the first steps in a leadership role.
Workplace accidents can occur as a combination of unsafe conditions and unsafe acts. With the right training, they can easily be prevented ensuring that employees remain safe and the workplace remains secure and productive.
The main purpose of this training is to allow Male PICC members to build a good understanding of gender concepts and social norms, to appreciate the benefits of involving different voices, and to give a safe space to ensure that diversity’s voices are represented and recognized.
Through this course, participants will improve their understanding of different approaches to IR-centred negotiation and more effective management of workplace relations. Participants will gain context- specific negotiation skills that can be applied in their factory, as well as practical guidance on managing conflicts and disputes for improved industrial harmony.
Good Occupational Health & Safety (OSH) is good for business. This course builds awareness of OSH as an integral part of factory management. Focusing on a preventative approach to OSH including risk mapping, it guides participants to spot hazards, meet national and international standards and the understand the role of the OSH committee.
PICC drives improvement in the workplace by ensuring workers and employers communicate and work together to address workplace issues through honest, respectful and informative dialogue.
Problem Solving and Root Cause Analysis
Safe workplaces create healthy and productive employees. The training introduces simple and low cost practices which participants can apply in their factory to ensure good working conditions and a productive working environment.
This specially designed course aims to help participants to recognise there are different forms of sexual harassment in the workplace, understand why sexual harassment is prevalent in garment factories, its impacts on the working environment and especially the factory’s productivity. Taking the training also helps participants to develop strategies to address and prevent sexual harassment, steps to deal with cases of sexual harassment at factories.
Social compliance is an integral part of factory’s operations and needs to be well connected to management systems in the factory. Some factories face difficulties with different equirements from different stakeholders on social compliance issues, and this might impact the way in which the factory takes decisions on how to address the issues in a sustainable manner. The training will equip the participants with different approaches to ensure workplace compliance by introducing the social compliance elements of ISO26000, SA8000, Brands Code of Conduct, and the eight clusters of Better Factories Cambodia’s Compliance Assessment Tools (CAT) – based on the fundamental rights of ILO’s Core Conventions.
SST has been proven to increase the productivity of lines supervised by trained female supervisors, as it reduces the time needed to reach production targets, resulting in a 22 % increase in productivity.
Major topics which we cover through this training are:
This training is for supervisors who have completed BFC’s supervisory skills training. Participants acquire the skills to deliver SST training in factories. This will give factories the opportunity to have their own in house trainers for current and future supervisors.
Effective workplace communication is essential in ensuring harmonious workers management relations, and a productive environment. This training provides an overview of ways in which workplace cooperation can be established in factories, including developing internal dispute resolution mechanisms to address and find a solution to grievances.
OSH Leadership Program
IR Leadership Program
We provide a comprehensive assessment to determine each factory’s overall progress on meeting international labour standards and national labour laws. Assessment findings are coupled with the factory’s own diagnosis of problems to provide a fair and well-rounded picture of success, demonstrated progress and areas for continued improvement. Our assessments helps reduce duplication in social auditing by consolidating buyers’ auditing activities, allowing buyers and factories to focus their efforts on solutions and capacity building.
Factory assessments by the ILO are a legal requirement for garment exporting factories in Cambodia. We are a neutral and independent monitor of factory conditions, operating with the highest degree of professionalism, integrity and respect.
Our highly training two person assessment teams make a two day unannounced visit to registered factories. Assessors interview managers and workers, review documents and make direct observations of factory conditions during assessment visits. Our comprehensive Compliance Assessment Tool covering core national and international labour standards guides the assessment.