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Empowering Talent: CAF's Comprehensive HR and Training Initiatives for the Canadian Apparel Industry

Human Resources, Talent & Training are the driving forces behind many of our activities and programs. Although our lobbying efforts, as well as the information and advice we offer are important, these programs ultimately do the most to help our industry grow and thrive. Our training initiatives assist firms every step of the way, from identification to application.

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CAF is dedicated to identifying and eliminating skills gaps in the Canadian fashion industry. We do this through partnerships with international research bodies, allowing us to benchmark Canadian priorities with the rest of the world. We also help boost the amount of resources available to apparel companies through our various funding programs for wage subsidies and other training initiatives. This frees up company resources, allowing you to devote more attention to human resources and training. 

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Our programming assists firms across all areas of the apparel sector at every level, from administration to production. Our informative webinars, plus the information we provide in our members-only updates, help top-level employees and management identify their most pressing training issues. Our close relationship with government agencies and other international partners like The Mekong Club, Human Solutions and Alvanon puts us in a unique position to provide accurate advice for finding and implementing solutions. 

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After these issues and skills gaps have been identified, we transform that information into practical educational tools and programming, allowing companies to apply it in their day-to-day operations. These can range from webinars or seminars to full-day bootcamps.

Our training and recruitment initiatives continue to secure tangible benefits for the Canadian apparel industry. Some of our most successful projects to date include: 

• Annual career fair in Toronto, targeted specifically at the apparel industry. Our 2020 event drew in over 500 quality candidates from Canada’s top fashion and business schools. We also actively support RH Mode, an annual career fair in Montreal hosted by our sister organization, Vetement Quebec. ​

• In 2019 we held a series of workshops hosted by Mekong Club CEO Matt Friedman on modern slavery in apparel supply chains. Over 80 people attended these events in various cities across Canada. We plan on expanding this program in future to provide additional educational tools in this area.​

• Wage subsidy programs for apparel industry employers in Ontario and BC. Our programs placed over 70 new hires in full time positions, with over 50 employers in Ontario and B.C. having participated to date. ​

• Every year since 2018, CAF and SGS North America have held an annual series of full day regulatory compliance and product testing workshops in cities across Canada. The sessions are very popular, with upwards of 30 companies participating at each event.​

• Our extensive webinar program is perhaps our most well-used training tool. Over 2,000 people attend CAF’s webinars every year, including senior management from firms across Canada as well as key industry decision makers.