What does SEAL mean?

SEAL or Social Standards Exchange of Experience in Southeast Asia and Practical Learning is a comprehensive program providing funds for several instruments both to promote social standards awareness, as well as provide technical assistance for SME’s to implement and maintain a social management system in Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.

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Which mentoring programmes are involved?

All mentoring programmes include assistance, supervision and review of need-gap analysis, documentation, implementation, internal audit, and formulation of corrective and preventive actions by competent Trainers/Consultants.

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Aside from training and mentoring, what materials will the qualified recipients receive?

All mentoring programmes include assistance, supervision and review of need-gap analysis, documentation, implementation, internal audit, and formulation of corrective and preventive actions by competent Trainers/Consultants.All qualified recipients will receive a training manual for each training module. At the end of all training and mentoring programmes, each qualified recipient will receive a multimedia computer-based training software (CD) that will contain all training to ensure training sustainability in each recipient.

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How long is the SEAL Programme?

The implementation of the SEAL Programme in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam is 2 years. The implementation of an SMS in each qualified recipient is a maximum of 7 months.

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Who will deliver all training and mentoring programmes?

Environmental Compliance Consultants International (ECC International) has been appointed by InWent to deliver all training and mentoring programmes. ECC International is a management consulting firm based in the Philippines (5 years) with operations in Singapore (1 year) and Malaysia (1 year). ECC International has assisted organizations both from the manufacturing and service industries and the private and public sectors.

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Who are qualified to apply for a grant/subsidy to the SEAL Programme?

• Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with 1,000 or less employees as of date of application;
• Able to demonstrate their capability to attend/receive all training and mentoring programmes;
• Able to demonstrate their capability to initiate, develop, implement and sustain an SMS;
• Willing to be a part of a pool of trainers/consultants who will replicate the project in the future;
• Willing to align their SMS to SA 8000 or capable of getting their SMS certified against SA 8000; and,
• Capable of investing (33% share only or PhP100,000.00 only) for the SEAL Programme.

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How much is the initial capital that SMEs have to provide if they undergo the SEAL Program?

Based on previous experience, estimated cost for the SEAL Implementation is approximately 4,250 Euro. More than half of the neccesary funds will be provided through the SEAL Programme.

The Programme will take care of the costs of the consultancy, training of trainers, social audit and other capacity building seminars to help establish the social management system in their company.

While it is true that companies will have to provide a counterpart funding, the SEAL Programme will nevertheless provide them with the platform to increase productivity and gain competitive advantage over other companies.

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Is there really a need ?

Today, several factors are pointing out the need for SMS to be integrated into the business stream of any corporation. The following are only a few of them:

1. increase corporate productivity
2. provide for good advertisement
3. cope with external pressure from abroad, especially from international clients and other organizations
4. answer the need to become internationally competitive

(One of the participants informed the group that his company is seeking to undergo SMS alignment and soon SA 8000 certification due to client specifications. This is an indication that SMS is fast becoming mainstream specifications for sustainable business activities)

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What is the advantage that they will get from the SEAL Program?

The SEAL Program will provide them the means, the organizational systems as well as the manpower to be locally and internationally more competitive. And because efficient systems are in place, the companies will be immediately ready for SA 8000 certification and their cost of monitoring will be reduced.

The SEAL Programme will also give them the corporate image and reputation of a law abiding and socially responsible organization _ a corporation that is attuned with the needs of its employees and is always ready to assist them in any possible way. As a byproduct of these, the company will be in a better position in the labor market; easily attracting well trained and skilled staff; and able to reduce cost of managing different social requirements mandated by law and international conventions.

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What is the usual implementation time frame ?

The SEAL Program usually runs from four to six months. It will start with the gap analysis and will end with a post audit. ECC International does not leave any company who has any unfinished setups.

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What are its concrete effects with the employees?

Aside from benefiting from substantial programs that were sponsored by the companies themselves, the SEAL Programme also provides the venue for the employees to be aware of their rights; to be more proactive as well as more concerned with what is happening with the companies they work for.

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Will the SEAL Books and Computer Based Training (CBT) be enough for us to implement the SEAL Program on our own?

No. The SEAL Books and CBT are only instruments to facilitate learning. The bulk of the knowledge, analysis, training and auditing will come from a highly specialized team of consultants.

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How will they incorporate it with the current system that they have? There might be some duplication of efforts?

Incorporation of the SMS to current systems as well as prevention of duplication of efforts are addressed from the very beginning through a Gap Analysis which will be conducted by the consultants before launching the requisite activities under the SEAL Programme.

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