IN an effort to address Cambodia's lack of skilled labour in the garment sector, the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) announced plans Sunday to invest US$2 million in a training centre, it said, pending the allocation of land from the Education Ministry.

Talking to member manufacturers, GMAC President Van Sou Ieng said a training centre would boost competitiveness.

"We hope the centre will produce 200 to 300 trained high-level workers and managers every year," he said. "Thousands of foreigners are working as designers in the garment sector in Cambodia because the factories cannot find skilled Cambodian workers."

He said that within the next five years, locals could replace this foreign work force.

Some 320,000 Cambodians work in the garment sector. According to the Labour Ministry, that number is supplemented by 8,000 foreigners filling skilled positions. 

Ath Thorn, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said improved training for locals could provide a boost to the Cambodian workers' incomes. France's state development agency will provide a loan to fund the project, he said.