By Ker Mogallo
Leading interior design and construction companies Classic Mouldings, has committed to gender inclusivity and empowerment of women at the workplace after signing the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP).
Launched on International Women’s Day in March 2010, the Women’s Empowerment Principles are a set of values for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, market place and community. Current research demonstrate that gender diversity is play a part in assisting both men and women in businesses for social and economic development
Classic Mouldings now joins institutions across the globe committed to fair treatment, economic empowerment and having women at the center of driving growth and innovation at all levels of the work place. Classic Mouldings commitment is more in line with principles 4 and 6. Principle 4 is to promote education, training and professional development for women while principle 6 is to promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.
“At Classic Mouldings, we are already at the forefront in mentoring women to become trained artisans who are positioned from the bottom to top leadership in the organization. This commitment comes naturally for us in the creation of job opportunities in the country,”
said Classic Mouldings CEO Moshe Noiman at the joint ceremony in partnership with UN Women Kenya.
Classic Mouldings has in the last five years offered capacity building to young artisans across the country through free training programs in a bid to bridge the gaps in technical and entrepreneurial skills. More than 6000 beneficiaries, 50 per cent of them women, have benefited from the program dubbed Professional Applicators Club (PAC). As a result, many have created their own businesses and in turn offered job creations for others.
After the artisans have gained technical skills from PAC, they will also benefit from entrepreneurial training to professionalize their skills so that they can develop and manage them into their own viable businesses. This would include equipping them with skills on tendering, access to finance and prudent bookkeeping, among other fundamentals of business.
PAC aims to promote local entrepreneurs and impact young people through building decorative painting skills and interior design capabilities. Through this program, Classic Mouldings have economically empowered a good number of the beneficiaries through self employment opportunities, taking advantage of the booming real estate industry.lassic Mouldings
UN Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme Analyst Banu Khan the partnership with industry would also involve industry visits to expose the women to available opportunities. The tour of Classic Mouldings studios was the first of its kind in the construction industry and others will follow.