Three New Regional Skills Partnerships Launched in Flanders, Central Portugal and Southwest Germany

Three new regional public-private skills partnerships for Europe’s textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industries have been approved and published on the European Commission’s Pact for Skills website, marking another step towards strengthening skills development across the industries. The partnerships in Flanders and Central Portugal were developed with the support of the Single Market Programme-funded TCLF SkillBridge project, while the partnership in Southwest Germany was developed with the support of the Erasmus+ Blueprint METASKILLS4TCLF project.

Flanders

The Flanders Regional Skills Partnership for the TCLF industries in Belgium aims to build a sector that guarantees sustainable employability for all employees, regardless of their age or prior digital knowledge, while ensuring companies can access the skills needed for the green and digital transitions. Led by COBOT, the partnership will develop practical and digital tools for knowledge retention and transfer, pilot onboarding toolkits and mentoring schemes, and provide tailored training on digital skills, sustainability, circularity and automation. It will also carry out company surveys and stakeholder consultations to anticipate skills needs, support learning networks and communities of practice, and strengthen cooperation between companies, schools and training providers to make the sector more attractive to current and future workers.

Central Portugal

The Regional Skills Partnership for the TCLF industries in Central Portugal aims to improve awareness of sustainable practices in the production chain, strengthen companies with an upskilled workforce and make the sector more attractive to young people. Led by MODATEX, the partnership will involve schools in promotional activities, train managers and leaders to support healthy and inclusive workplaces and promote the transfer of skills between generations. It will also strengthen skills development in sustainability and digitalisation through upskilling and reskilling, and anticipate skills needs through networking among industry, education and training institutions, and public authorities.

Southwest Germany

The Regional Skills Partnership for the Footwear Sector in Southwest Germany aims to foster a modern, sustainable and appealing skills ecosystem that ensures future talent provision and strengthens the sector’s long-term competitiveness. Led by the Bundesverband der Schuh- und Lederwarenindustrie (HDS/L), it responds to the loss of expertise in an ageing workforce, a growing shortage of production-related skills and the sector’s limited visibility among young people. The partnership will strengthen training capacity and the quality of education and create a new training pathway leading to a “Footwear Technology Qualification” offered by the Research and Testing Institute Pirmasens (PFI). It will also promote footwear careers through career fairs, school orientation activities and internships, and develop a plan to make better use of funding, mobility and job-placement opportunities.

All three partnerships form part of the Large-Scale Partnership, the TCLF Skills Alliance, which brings together regional stakeholders to address skills needs and support the green and digital transition of Europe’s TCLF industries.

Learn more about the new regional skills partnerships here.