By implementing the project, we wanted to contribute to the modernisation of vocational education and training for the footwear sector in Croatia and Portugal, with a specific focus on the green and digital transition. The main objective was to develop innovative, flexible and ready-to-use short-term curricula that could respond to the real training needs of footwear companies and support the upskilling and reskilling of workers, technicians, managers and future professionals. We also aimed to strengthen the competences of teachers, trainers and in-company tutors by providing them with new knowledge, methods and tools related to sustainability, circular economy, digital design, digitalisation and other emerging sectoral topics. Another important objective was to improve cooperation between VET providers, higher education, business organisations and companies, by linking Croatian needs with the advanced Portuguese experience in footwear innovation and training. Overall, the project aimed to build the capacity of the partner organisations to offer more agile, labour-market-oriented VET solutions and to create a stronger transnational partnership capable of supporting the long-term green and digital transformation of footwear sector.
We applied for the project because the Croatian footwear sector was facing a clear need to strengthen its VET offer in response to the green and digital transition. Croatian footwear companies increasingly need workers, technicians, managers and future professionals with practical skills related to sustainable materials, circular economy, waste reduction, digital design, prototyping, and Industry 4.0 solutions. At the same time, Croatia lacked a structured, flexible and sector-specific VET offer for footwear, especially one that could quickly respond to the needs of companies and support both upskilling/reskilling of employees and the attraction of young people to the sector. The project addressed the need for stronger cooperation between education providers, business representatives and sectoral experts at transnational level. By bringing together HUP, the Faculty of Textile Technology and CTCP, the project connected Croatian labour-market needs with Portuguese expertise in footwear innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and VET. The project was therefore designed to develop agile, ready-to-use curricula and training opportunities that support modern, labour-market-oriented and innovative VET response for the footwear sector.