AEQUALIS4TCLF brings together 19 European partners to upskill and reskill the TCLF industries across Europe

In the context of the EU Pact for Skills initiative launched by the European Commission in 2021, the three European TCLF umbrella organisations, EURATEX, COTANCE and CEC, launched last week a new EU co-funded project under ERASMUS+ Programme to support the up-skilling and reskilling in the textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) sectors.  The AEQUALIS4TCLF project brings together 19 partners mainly from Eastern and Northern Europe who will work together in the coming 4 years to give a boost the competitiveness of TCLF industries across Europe by ensuring the lifelong learning of workers and attracting new generations.

Following the Blueprint project SMART4TCLF ended in 2022 and complementary to the ongoing Blueprint METASKILLS4TCLF project, AEQUALIS4TCLF will prioritise the creation of strong links between industry and education with public regional and local authorities in Croatia, Czechia, Finland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Serbia and Slovenia, in order to boost skills initiatives and modernise the education systems to faster respond to companies’ skills needs. Based on the results from a skills gap analysis and with the support of the existing and enlarging the existing EU-wide Network of Education providers across Europe, project partners will develop national skills strategies to address specific regional needs, setting a clear path for workforce development with special attention to addressing discrimination and promote diversity in the TCLF industries.

Carmen Arias, Secretary General of CEC welcomed this new initiative: “This project represents an opportunity of collaboration with these countries’ stakeholders to reinforce the TCLF supply chains in Europe by investing in upskilling and reskilling of workers”.