Launch of the Digital TCLF 2025 project to provide the Textile, Clothing, Leather & Footwear sectors with the appropriate skills and competencies to face the digitization of the value chains

COTANCE, representing the European Leather Industry, is one of the three sectors taking part in a multiannual ERASMUS+ KA2 project Digital TCLF 2025 (EU Textile, Clothing, Leather & Footwear (TCLF) Skills Council: analysis of emerging occupations in a digital environment). The project is coordinated by EURATEX.

The five project partners (COTANCE, EURATEX, European Shoe Confederation, industriAll-Europe and Spin360) held their launch meeting in EURATEX premises in Brussels in January 2017.

The objective of the project is to address the need to provide these (TCLF) sectors with the appropriate skills and competencies to embrace the digitization of the EU value chains. It is a follow-up initiative furthering the EU TCLF Skills Council set up by the Social Partners of the three sectors.
Moreover, improving the skills of the leather sector’s human resources and focusing notably on preparing the sector’s SMEs to the digital economy is one of the challenges identified in the Social Dialogue project “A Future for European Leather!” finalized in 2016 and thus part of the COTANCE priorities in the Action Plan towards 2025.

Digital TCLF 2025 will focus on: forecasting future impact of these occupations in terms of European employment and strategic development of the TCLF sectors and their SMEs; identifying gaps between the current Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers offer for the emerging occupations; drafting innovative VET & Training Programs, together with competent and relevant stakeholders, selected based on their possible involvement in future exploitation activities.

The work will be complemented by the development of skills recognition within the sectors and the definition of a roadmap for Digital Skills development in the TCLF sectors inclusive of exploitation strategies and training provision, whether it be VET-based or using other education and training activities tailored for the SMEs, their workers and being attractive to the young generations.

Project Acronym: Digital TCLF 2025
Project Title: EU Textile, Clothing, Leather & Footwear (TCLF) Skills Council: analysis of emerging occupations in a digital environment
Project Reference: 575850-EPP-1-2016-1-BE-EPPKA2-SSA
Project Duration: 24 months from 01.12.2016 – 30.11.2018
Project Partners
1.    EURATEX (coordinator), Belgium – Textiles & Clothing
2.    CEC, Belgium - Footwear
3.    COTANCE, Belgium - Leather
4.    IndustriAll Europe, Belgium – European Trade Union
5.    SPIN360, Italy