Textiles and clothing, one of the most important sectors of activity in Europe with more than 3 million persons employed, has been severely affected by crisis and restructuring processes.The textile industry is traditional for Europe, with a centuries-old history, offering high quality and innovative products. It is the leading sector in the EU. According to EURATEX Annual report 2018, the EU-28 is the world's largest market for textile and clothing products with household consumption of € 520 billion, it turnover is 178 billion; in the TCI are employed 1.7 million workers; the industry exports to outside EU amount to almost € 50 billion; the EU TCI counts 171,000 companies, 99% of which are small and medium-sized niche players focusing on quality, innovation, creativity and outstanding customer service. The development of the necessary competences and skills for existing workforce and attracting qualified young experts of the next generation has become a priority for companies. The textile industry is in a pressing need of human resources because a great part (about 40%) is expected to retire in the next few years, and it is not attractive to young people. As the results of TECLO project (www.teclo.eu) highlight, European companies (especially SMEs) need more skilled employees especially with regard to competences related to innovation, management, and internationalisation. As, the Skills4Smart TCLF Industries 2030 (http://www.s4tclfblueprint.eu) key research findings further demonstrate, these competences are not adequately addressed by traditional VET courses so, in order to enable a new generation of Textile and Clothing professionals to adequate face the challenges of this sector, new training tools and more effective training approaches are needed. FACTIVE project aims to make a further step on the path set by TECLO project, reusing and further implementing its good results, while also complement the ongoing work implemented in the framework of the Skills4Smart TCLF Industries 2030 project. The main objectives of FACTIVE project are, indeed: to enhance the quality and relevance of the learning offer in Textile and Clothing VET training by developing of an innovative learning approach based on flipped classrooms methodology and scenario-based learning approach; to improve the level and the assessment of learners’ competences, including entrepreneurship, non-technological innovation and internationalisation; to promote take-up of innovative practices, by using open and flexible learning tools. Starting from good practices already in use in Europe and a thorough analysis of companies needs concerning non technological innovation and internationalization skills, the partnership will integrate the TECLO Massive Open Online Course with new contents and will develop a Flipped Classroom Methodology to be used by VET trainers in the Textile and Clothing Sector. The main activities foreseen by the project are: - Development of a new flexible, integrated, innovative learning approach for the T&C VET Trainers, based on the flipped classroom methodology, in order to overcome the limits of traditional, too theoretical, VET training approaches; - Integration of the TECLO MOOC with new contents, based on real work situations defined with the collaboration of T&C European companies; - Validation of the FACTIVE approach by project partners; - Piloting of the FACTIVE approach by relevant stakeholders; - Animation of a Community of practice for VET trainers and providers; - Development of a Handbook for VET teacher and trainers containing guidelines about how to use the Training Toolkit and how to evaluate learning outcomes.
Enhancing the development of human capital through a new flexible, integrated, innovative learning approach for the T&C VET, providing the textiles and clothing sector with "future-proof" skills strategies, is a constantly increasing EU challenge, which can be solved by implementing coherent active strategies. Calibrating opportunities that derive from a collaboration of organisations across national borders is a need embraced by partners, through the creation of tools with a real EU added value, usable and exploitable in different countries.
Vocational education occupies an important place in the EU panorama; nowadays around half of young learners in the EU are VET learners. The Action 4 of the European Skills Agenda 2020 sustains a modernised EU policy vision for VET, based on the permeability with other education sectors, stronger partnerships with employers, enhancement of work-based learning, mobility opportunities, and digital readiness of institutions and teachers. This modernisation is particularly necessary for traditional manufacturing sectors, with a special focus on textiles and clothing (T&C), as one of the EU's leading industries in terms of income and employability. The T&C sector is particularly affected by the economic crisis and by the challenges brought by the new trends linked to sustainability and digitalisation. VET systems are not able to quickly respond to these rapid changes by adjusting the educational offer to the sector real needs. This leads to a mismatch between the skills required by the industry and those transferred to the future professionals by the educational system. Only a stronger collaboration between VETs and T&C companies can bridge this gap, improving the innovation potentials, attractiveness and competitiveness of the sector.