Hela Apparel Holdings achieves new milestones in building social capital

• 145 team members from Hela’s manufacturing facilities in Mawathagama, Narammala, Palapathwela and Thihariya graduated under P.A.C.E. program
• Hela ‘Diriliya’ launched with team members across 7 manufacturing plants showcasing their skills

Hela Apparel Holdings successfully concluded its biggest graduation ceremony under the P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program alongside the launch of the Hela ‘Diriliya’ initiative on 5 March in Sri Lanka. These initiatives are driven by the organisation to uplift and enhance the livelihoods of Hela employees across the globe. 

As a social capital focused company, Hela believes in creating an environment of inclusivity and equality, paving the way for each individual to grow within the organisation. With this ethos driving the organisation forward, Hela together with PVH introduced P.A.C.E. to its manufacturing facilities in 2019. 

P.A.C.E. is a foundational life skills training program designed to improve skills such as communication, problem-solving and decision making, time and stress management, legal literacy, financial literacy, execution excellence, and sanitation and hygiene. Improving these skills will help employees of Hela feel empowered and increase their confidence levels which will benefit their careers for long term positive growth.  

Sharing his thoughts at the event, Hela Intimates CEO Shameen Peiris said: “It’s wonderful to see so many of our employees being recognised under the P.A.C.E. program. With over 19,000 employees across Sri Lanka and Africa, we believe it is our prime responsibility to ensure that each individual who contributes to the growth of the organisation is supported to grow with it. 

“With steady progress since its inception, we hope to see more than 5,000 employees graduate from the P.A.C.E. program by 2024. I take this opportunity to congratulate all 145 P.A.C.E. graduates and Hela’s Social Capital Team for the tremendous work in implementing the program.”  

‘Diriliya’ is another novel initiative developed by Hela as part of its social capital focused approach to uplift the lives of the people in the communities it operates in. Hela Diriliya is designed to encourage employees to come forward with their skills, and build a culture that encourages entrepreneurs.  Through this program employees across Hela will be provided with the knowledge of how to build a business from scratch, develop business models and maintain finances while ensuring product quality. The initiative will also provide selling propositions both internally and externally and aid members to connect with financial institutions for support. Hela Diriliya also helps members develop specific vocational skills, further enabling them to excel in skills such as needlework, dressmaking, pottery and many more.

Hela KinetiX CEO Viraj Fernando said: “The apparel sector is one of the biggest contributors towards the Sri Lankan economy, Hela as an industry leader believe that people thrive when they’re positive and initiatives such as P.A.C.E. and Diriliya drive positivity amongst our employees. 

“Seeing 145 graduates today from our factories in Sri Lanka brings me immense pride. I hope that each and every one of them obtained something that will drive them towards their life goals through this programme which in return will help their families, the organisation and the country.”

Team members engaged in the Diriliya program were presented with finance tracking booklets along with an opportunity to showcase and exhibit their products consisting of food items, footwear, garments and ornaments during the event, further encouraging them to attain their goals. The event also recognised the project leads from Diriliya and P.A.C.E. across 07 manufacturing plants without whom the event would not have been possible.  

Hela Apparel Holdings is a social capital-focused company built on the principles of inclusivity, equality, and sustainability. With over three decades of industry experience, Hela focuses on building strategic partnerships with global brands to provide apparel supply chain solutions with distinctive advantages. 

The organisation has a global presence with 12 manufacturing facilities across Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt, as well as design centres in Sri Lanka, the US, UK, and France, and provides direct employment to over 19,000 people. Innovative, Ethical, and Sustainable apparel manufacturing is at the centre of Hela’s operations, with numerous accolades for sustainability, the organisation was recently endorsed as a signatory to the UN Global Compact.