Today in Gastonia, NC, a partnership agreement in the form of an MOU was signed with the objective of mobilizing academic resources from the participating universities as well as the textile industry, with the support of the United States Department of State. The parties aim to utilize these programs to train young adults of the Central American Northern Triangle region and the United States so they will be equipped to fill well-paid private sector positions being created in the textile industry. The event, with support from the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), was attended by representatives of 25 textile and garment producers including Parkdale Mills, Elcatex, SanMar and Gildan, plus other brands and retailers including Hanesbrands and Walmart. NC State, UNITEC, Gaston College, and Catawba Valley Community College all were present as well, thanks to attendance by their senior academic leadership.
HUGE Founders Jesus Canahuati, Andy and Davis Warlick represented the HUGE (Honduras, USA, Guatemala, El Salvador) Business and Investment Council at the launch of the Textile Workforce Development Initiative with the participation of United States Under Secretary of State Jose Fernandez and Commerce Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles Jennifer Knight, Honduras Private Secretary to President Castro, Héctor Manuel Zelaya, Dean of the North Carolina State University Wilson College of Textiles, Dr. David Hinks, Rector of the Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana (UNITEC), Dr. Marlon Antonio Brevé Reyes and President of the Honduran Textile Association, Mario Canahuati.
Andy Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills and a HUGE Founder, remarked during his speech, “7% of what we consume in the USA comes from CAFTA-DR. The rest of it comes from somewhere else, mostly from Southeast Asia, so you might ask yourself: Is it unrealistic, with all the supply chain problems and the pollution problems caused by a freighter coming from China, is it inconceivable for that number to go from 7% to 14%? I think it’s very possible. That creates billions of dollars of investment. It also creates millions of jobs in the region and the United States.”
The partnership provides an opportunity for young adults in the Northern Triangle region to obtain well-paying jobs with a host of benefits that contribute to a good quality of life. With the development of their human capacity and productivity, nearshoring opportunities become more attainable in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, as the private sector of these countries works hand in hand with the private sector of the United States. The role of HUGE, since its inception, has been to bring these parties together, support the implementation of programs like this one, and to replicate this approach in other economic sectors.
The overarching goal of HUGE is to mobilize $10 billion in private investments to create two million new jobs in the Northern Triangle countries and the United States over a five-year period. In only the first 18 months, the 501(c)(6) mobilized $3.21 billion to create more than 200,000 new jobs. The business leaders and Founders of HUGE understand that the availability of desirable jobs and vital social services is necessary to provide broad access to the “American Dream” at home, in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, thereby avoiding the need to seek it in the United States.
“The Honduran textile industry, together with UNITEC, NC State, NCTO and the US State Department, has embarked on an effort to provide tools to hundreds of thousands of workers so that our industry can be more competitive, and so they can have access to more, better-paying jobs. We thank NC State and the other parties involved with this HUGE effort. We will ensure its success, not only in Honduras but also throughout the entire Northern Triangle region,” remarked HUGE Founder Jesus Canahuati at the conclusion of today’s event.
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