February 28, 2001 Press Release

SGMA to Partner With NMC
For Employee Training, Safety

SAIPAN - The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA) is looking to team up with the Northern Marianas College (NMC) to improve safety conditions within the CNMI garment industry, and the organization expects to create about 30 new jobs for local residents while doing so.

As part of NMC's Community Development Plan, NMC President Joaquin Sablan requested that SGMA, along with a number of other community and business organizations, come up with a list of programs and courses that would serve and support their respective industries. According to Sablan, the Community Development Plan "will outline NMC's role in improving the overall economy of the CNMI."

In response, SGMA Executive Director Richard A. Pierce recommended that the college offer a specific program with courses in general safety, industrial hygiene, and occupational safety training. "As part of our Excellence 2000 program, we require each SGMA member to have a permanent, full-time safety employee," explained Pierce. "These courses would help us develop these safety employees on the island."

Pierce noted that SGMA has recently entered into a partnership agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor-OSHA Division, entitled Excellence 2000. It is a voluntary program aimed at federal and local compliance with occupational safety laws and regulations. Twenty-three out of the 31 SGMA member factories have joined.

Pierce estimates that SGMA's suggested program with NMC would help create between 30-35 well-paying jobs in the garment industry for course graduates.

"We also feel this would be a benefit to the many hotels, construction companies and other businesses where safety laws and regulations apply as well," added Pierce. "And obviously, it shows our continued commitment to improving conditions in all of Saipan's garment factories."

The Saipan Garment Manufacturer's Association represents 31 of the islands' 34 garment factories. Employing nearly 15,000 people, including 2,400 local residents, garment manufacturing is a driving economic force in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.