Seidensticker and The Centre Engage Vietnam Women’s Union to Expand Youth Support Efforts

In 2023, Seidensticker supported marginalised youth through an access-to-decent-work-for-youth programme at its supplier factory in Indonesia that created job opportunities for 22 out-of-work youth. The company has continued to explore opportunities to expand its support of youth beyond Indonesia, focusing on its supplier base in Vietnam since middle 2023.

Between June and July 2024, The Centre and Seidensticker reached out to the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) of Chi Linh Town, where the factory is located, and engaged in a series of meetings and workshops. The VWU is a government organisation that champions women’s legitimate rights and interests and plays a significant role in inter-agency child protection task forces. It also has an umbrella network of branches from the national level to the commune level. By engaging with this influential institution, Seidensticker and The Centre sought to seek out opportunities to leverage the VMU’s influence to reach out to youth in need of decent work and skill-development.

Seidensticker’s recruitment team presented The Centre's access-to-decent-work-for-youth programme to the VWU to demonstrate the positive impact of a youth-focused programme on a community. They also discussed the recruitment needs for young workers who have left school and joined the workforce earlier than their peers.

In July, a meeting was held with ten VWU representatives for consultation, and a workshop on the Protection of Youth at the Workplace was conducted for 16 youth (aged 15 to under 18). This workshop included eight individuals invited from the surrounding community with VWU support and eight children of workers working at Seidensticker Vietnam.

“The programme to support access to decent work for youth is helpful to keep youngsters out of hazardous work and social evils. After this workshop, I strongly feel that I would be able to promote and communicate with out-of-school youngsters in my area and refer them to the company”, said one of the WVU representatives after the engagement.  

After the meeting, besides the potential for VWU to disseminate knowledge and information within its network to support Seidensticker Vietnam in recruiting young workers, VWU is committed to collaborating with the company on future activities related to supporting both youth and female workers. VWU also extends an invitation to the company to share its experiences at upcoming trainings organised by VWU, aimed at raising awareness among more VWU members.

The collaboration with the VWU illustrates how brands can work with government organisations to promote young people’s right to decent work.