Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
BACKGROUND
The project aims to combat the loss of know-how in footwear manufacturing in the EU which is particularly evident in Poland, where job profiles involving manual skills have no success in attracting young people, and where numerous VET schools have been closed because of lacking students (source: in-depth assessment of the situation of the European footwear sector and prospects for its future development; DG Enterprise & Industry, 2012).
Therefore the project intends to reinvigorate the training of skilled workers for the footwear industry thanks to an innovative training pathway encompassing:
- the best training practices in the European footwear sector;
- training material that includes state-of the-art/advanced production technologies.
This training pathway is developed through:
- the experiences of European countries with a long-standing training tradition in the footwear industry;
- the integration of state-of-the-art technologies especially for in Poland, where VET training is not up-to-date while the demand of the footwear industry for skilled workers is growing;
- an in-depth study of the industry to identify the precise needs.
AIM
The aim of the project is to develop a new curriculum for «Industrial Shoemakers» focusing on the engineering and manufacturing process. The idea is to use the best practices of EU countries with a long-standing training tradition in the footwear sector and a flourishing footwear industry.
The project partners work towards achieving the following:
- define the new curriculum by sharing and enhancing the experiences of Poland, Germany and Portugal;
- introduce training contents that meet the labour market needs and that encompasses the most modern technological tools available;
- define a training model recognized at EU level which complies with ECVET standards and includes work based learning practices;
- Facilitate the employability of young people enrolled in footwear training courses.