LightCastle Signs Skills and RMG Working Group Charter at the Fourth Convening of Oporajita

On 24th May, co-funders and 11 partner organizations of “Oporajita: Collective Impact on the Future of Work in Bangladesh” joined a hybrid event held at Ascott Palace, Dhaka for the fourth convening of Oporajita.

This followed the third convening of the project, which focused on co-developing shared values, operationalizing action plans for previously identified synergies, and revisiting the Shared Measurement System indicators for the project.

Four partners- C-CAB, iDE, CAIF and Shimmy Technologies Inc. shared some of their study findings, alongside the Oporajita branding guideline launch by Mighty Byte. LightCastle Partners signed the thematic working group charter alongside other participating organizations. The working group aims to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among the project partners focusing on the subject of skill development and the RMG industry.

The findings shared at the event covered knowledge gaps and cultural elements on women’s role in the workplace, the specific industries they are interested in for alternative livelihood post-retirement, ecosystem mapping for circular jobs, upskilling and future automation needs.

With the ongoing shift in the apparel sector, the project aims to prepare women apparel workers in Bangladesh for a future where the apparel industry is defined by automation and digitalization to safeguard their livelihoods. Bangladesh must take the necessary actions to maintain its competitive edge in the RMG sector as the world moves toward automation and sustainability.

On a broader scale, the aim is to identify the impact of technology adoption and strengthen the collaboration among Bangladeshi apparel sector stakeholders on improving sector competitiveness and skill development and employment opportunities for women apparel workers in order to mitigate the upcoming challenges.

Radi Shafiq, Portfolio Manager, Subrina F. Eusa, Business Consultant and Fahmid Kaisar, Business Consultant took part in the convening from LightCastle Partners. As part of the two-year program, the LightCastle team is conducting extensive scenario mapping, assessing policy imperatives, and arranging a dialogue series, facilitating partnerships with cross-sector stakeholders and hosting national-level events with innovators, industry leaders, and policymakers.