The 3rd Worker Engagement and Retention (WEAR) steering committee meeting was held on May 09, 2019 in the EP meeting hall. The committee held discussions on a number of key issues including the status of the WEAR Program and evaluation of the pilot program. A progress update was shared with steering committee members (brands,  factories, private sector service providers engaged in labour management activities and donors). In addition, production has been finalized on ten audio-visual materials and translation from Amharic to Tigregna and Oromifa is underway. The international learning expert also provided an update on progress made in developing the facilitator’s guide. Insight was provided into the monitoring plan and discussions were held on the approaches identified. Many factories have shown interest in piloting the program and selection of pilot factories is underway. EP is also partnering with ILO Better Works in identifying factories, and facilitating training of trainers and the pilot is tentatively scheduled for the week of May 27^th.

The Role of the WEAR Steering Committee is to advise on the project’s feasibility and achievement of outcomes, ensure the project’s scope aligns with the requirements of the stakeholder groups, such as investors, government and workers, as well as providing advise on the ethno-linguistic culture of Ethiopia and ensuring that the project outputs are consistent with this culture and report on project progress to those at a high level, such as government ministries, investors, international organisations, NGO leadership, etc. The committee meets quarterly to discuss relevant issues.