17 April 2025
Learning by Doing: A New Era for Leather Goods Training in Europe
Last week, partners from Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, and Romania came together in Iasi, Romania, to drive forward the Erasmus+ project Learning Factories, a pioneering initiative that places European leather goods companies at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and education through a “learning by doing” approach.
Partners have completed the development of the four forward-looking curricula: Leather Goods Design for Circularity, AI Supporting Design and Pattern-Making, 3D Printing for Prototyping and Tools for Industrialisation, and Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Operations. The focus is now on the creation of the respective innovative, multilingual learning materials (in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, and Romanian) that combine concise video modules (“video pills”) with AI-powered learning resources. These resources will include interactive questions, real-world problems, and case-based solutions delivered through an intuitive app designed for use by trainers and trainees, particularly within workplace settings.
The app will support work-based learning by offering contextualised, machine-learning-driven responses tailored to each trainee’s needs. It will evolve with use, delivering new, relevant content each time a trainee presents a real-life question, issue, or challenge from the shopfloor. Complementing this, a digital scanning tool has already been launched to assess training needs and guide users toward a personalised learning path aligned with the most suitable curriculum.
The project consortium is also organising two upcoming bootcamps in July 2025, one in Porto, Portugal, and another in Ubrique, Spain. Aimed at trainers, tutors, and teachers in the leather goods sector, these sessions will offer a deep dive into core project topics, encourage the co-creation of training materials, especially work-based learning activities, and spark fresh, innovative collaboration between companies and VET providers, with a strong emphasis on placing companies at the forefront of the training process.
To stay updated on the upcoming events and progress of the project, connect with us on LinkedIn and visit our website! Join us in shaping the future of European leather goods, a future where tradition meets technology, ensuring sustainability and competitiveness for generations to come!
The Learning Factories project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
