The projects form part of the European Commission-funded TCLF SkillBridge programme, coordinated by EURATEX, CEC and Cotance under the Single Market Programme. Ten partnerships across the textile, clothing, leather and footwear sectors have received funding, including three dedicated to leather.

In Tuscany, the partnership is led by UNIC in partnership with Consorzio Conciatori and Polo Tecnologico Conciario. Together, they have filmed around 60 videos across seven tanneries to create training modules covering onboarding, sustainability, circularity and EU regulations. Sixteen tanneries have already joined the initiative, which aims to reach 50 companies and train 100 employees by the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, the Baden-Württemberg partnership, led by the German Leather Federation (VDL), is developing a multilingual virtual tannery featuring an AI avatar, “Paul”, to guide learners through the leather manufacturing process. The platform will combine video-based learning with interactive training tools, using footage captured in Tuscany as part of cross-border collaboration fostered by the project.

In Italy’s Campania region, the MedLeather I-HUB partnership has already delivered four training events involving 205 participants, including SMEs, students, researchers and technicians. A digital learning platform is now available to regional SMEs, with six further training sessions planned before the end of 2026 and a target of more than 400 participants overall.

The organisers said the three regions demonstrate how permanent cooperation between industry, training providers and regional authorities can help strengthen skills development across Europe’s leather industry.

审核：雒霞