Gap Announces Plans to Provide One Million Women Access to Life-Skills Classes

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Gap, Inc. just announced that the company plans on expanding its P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) program to reach one million women by 2020. The P.A.C.E. program was launched in 2007 to help Gap's female garment workers get access to life-skills classes, from communication skills to financial literacy to time and stress management.

"From Phnom Penh to Pittsburgh, women share in common an ambition to advance. What some lack are opportunities, particularly access to education," Art Peck, Gap's CEO, said in a statement. "We are committed to advancing the lives of one million women by expanding our P.A.C.E. program, and we hope others will join us. We know that with the right opportunities, women become powerful agents of change in their families and in their communities."

At first, the P.A.C.E. program classes were only available to female garment workers working for Gap, but it has since expanded to include entire communities where the women live. In order to reach the program's goal of educating one million women by 2020, the P.A.C.E. curriculum is now available to use by other companies outside of Gap. There's also a new teaching curriculum being put in place to reach girls ages 13 to 18 as well as new women's leadership classes.