Leather Goods is a traditional sector that covers the manufacturing of a wide range of items such as all kinds of handbags, luggage and other travel goods, small items such as purses and wallets, belts, watch straps. Although belonging to the fashion cluster, is totally distinct from Leather (Tannery) and Footwear. Europe has been one of the most important manufacturers of Leather Goods, with the focus on the high-end/luxury segment. The Leather Goods industry provides an important level of employment in Europe which rounds 13.138 companies and 113.304 employees and a turnover of 15.331 Million Euros. In some European countries the sector is relevant: 5273 companies in Italy and 40.185 employees, 1.852 companies in France and 20.403 employees, 1605 companies in Spain and 15.340 employees, 400 companies in Romania and 8.244 employees, 303 companies in Portugal and 1.869 employees. Within twenty years, this industry moved out of industrialized countries, resulting in the closing of a great number of factories, loss of jobs, disappearance of knowhow and the significant diminishing of VET centres. But some years to now, the sector is experimenting a reversible trend, undergoing an encouraging increase in high quality products. As the industry is growing, the lack of skills from the part of the already existing employees and new comers is becoming notable. There’s no VET installed in the majority of the countries to cope with this skills’ lack and/or attract and integrate new comers. The qualification existing at national level are totally unsuitable to the reality and needs of the companies in each mention countries, to be competitive in a global world. Therefore, four VET training entities from Portugal, Italy, Spain and Romania, in cooperation with 2 companies from Portugal and Italy, and a specialist in advanced learning technologies, decided to work toward an integrated response to the problem issued. The project envisages to design, develop and pilot a new profile and training opportunities in ICT and work-based learning combined with trainers/learners mobility actions, in line with the actual needs of the companies and mainstream it at European and National level, boosting the sector workforce upskill, promoting the entrepreneurship of new talent designers and the development of a new generation of high-skilled leather goods manufacturers, oriented to high-end products to strengthen the high-end leather goods manufacturing across Europe. The project will provide a new profile and training, updating the existing one totally not adequate to the reality of the sector, a package of pedagogical material based on the designed learning units, delivered through advanced learning technologies with augmented reality embedded and immersive tutorials, a package dedicated to the preparation of trainers, tutors and coaches which includes a manual and an exchanging training/learning activity, and a set of multiplier events in each country involved, in parallel with promotion material and a project website, all results in English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Romanian. Through a regular and constant accompaniment from a strong influent panel of stakeholders, the project results will be oriented for a future certification, following each country rule. The project will involve directly 283 participants during 2,5 years of implementation, plus 5000 people directly and indirectly through common dissemination channels, and will impact on the strengthening of the high-end leather goods production across Europe, the enhancement of employability of fashion designers, single entrepreneurs in the field of fashion and leather goods, emergence of a new generation of trainers/coaches in advanced learning methodologies, the leverage of the level of employment in the sector and a high level of cooperation among entities across Europe in Leather Goods and VET.
The overall objective is to maintain and strengthen the high-end leather goods production across Europe taking into consideration the specificities of the wide range of the products involved, promoting the entrepreneurship of new talent fashion designers and the development of a new generation of high-skilled leather goods manufacturers, oriented to high-end products, which should meet ingredients of sustainability and social responsibility, consumers worries with health and comfort, and the use of digital tools, fostering the assimilation of a high level of technology in certain production phases but maintaining the particularities that make the sector renown worldwide – the manuality, the extreme care for details, the obsession about quality. Other objectives related to the project purpose and ambition: - To increase the level of the employment of the Leather Goods sector across Europe. - To innovate in terms of training delivering - To promote the attraction of a young generation to the sector - To enhance employability of fashion designers, single entrepreneurs in the field of fashion and Leather Goods. - To prepare trainers and coaches to use innovative methodologies and tools - To increase the cooperation among SMEs and VET
The Leather Goods industry has been along the years a sector involving a high level of manuality and skills, especially what regards to luxury segment. The manufacturing of leather goods is a complex process from the design to finishing and where the assimilation of innovation is very slow. The identified needs that drove the partnership to propose and initiate this project were the following: - Lack of skills of the already existing employees in the sector, what concerns to luxury segment which is the most relevant and the one that offers a more promising future, and even adequate to the technological state-of-the-art. - There isn’t a VET offer installed in the European countries to cope with this above mentioned lack and/or attract and integrate newcomers who could refresh the sector. - Inappropriate VET offer: the VET offer doesn’t enter into account with technology upgrade, sustainability and comfort aspects. - Inappropriate VET offers at quality and certification aspects: the existing VET offer doesn’t enter into account with quality aspects and certification. - Inappropriate VET offers for digital transition - Lack of education and training for luxury responsible sector. - Need at the level of attracting new talent