The Phenix Center for Economic and Information Studies, in partnership with Better Work Jordan, concluded a training program for human resources managers and employees in Jordanian garment factories on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the garment sector.
The two-day training aimed to provide technical and institutional guidance to HR managers and employees to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities, develop HR policies to suit their needs, and train them to develop action plans to transfer knowledge to their colleagues.
The training reviewed the Jordanian and international legislative framework for the rights of persons with disabilities, how to develop human resource policies to suit the needs of persons with disabilities, as well as the benefits and advantages of employing persons with disabilities.
The training also reviewed a guidebook prepared by the Phenix Center in cooperation with the Better Work Jordan program, which aims to promote a responsive and inclusive work environment for the employment of persons with disabilities in garment factories by providing guidelines that will enable employers to recognize the value and potential of persons with disabilities, ensure their fair treatment, and facilitate the development and implementation of reasonable accommodations needed to integrate them into the productive process.
This guide was developed to address the challenges facing people with disabilities in the garment sector, where the migrant labor force constitutes about 75% of the workforce, most of whom are women, reinforcing Jordan's commitment to the principles of gender equality.
The preparation of the guide was based on a methodology based on a comprehensive review of similar guides in other sectors and the use of a participatory approach through consultations with factory owners and persons with disabilities themselves in the garment sector.
The guide provided several guidelines to enable people with disabilities to access job opportunities and participate effectively in production processes in garment factories, such as guidelines for developing disability-friendly infrastructure, guidelines for hiring them according to the type of disability, guidelines for training and developing their skills, as well as guidelines related to occupational safety and health for people with disabilities.
The training was attended by about 40 participants, including managers and human resources staff in garment factories from different governorates of the Kingdom, in addition to representatives of the General Syndicate of Workers in the Textile and Clothing Industry.
As part of the sustainability efforts, during the training, participants were involved in developing action plans to transfer knowledge to other colleagues.