Building on past activities, the Council is conducting wide-ranging activities aimed at strengthening its role and reach. Meeting at least twice this year, the Council coordinates this work, focusing on:
Since its creation, a key objective for the TCLF Skills Council has been a deeper cooperation with other skills-related EU initiatives. To this end, a series of meeting have been organised with the European Commission and sub-sectors representatives, in the context of the ESCO, Skills Panorama and Skills Alliances initiatives. These meetings led to a Harmonisation Seminar, held on 17th March 2014. Commission Officers in charge of the above initiatives and representatives of the existing Skills Councils joined the seminar and set the groundwork for cooperation and sharing of resources, including sectoral knowledge generated within the Council.
Current research and analytical work aims primarily at updating and enhancing the knowledge in sectoral specificities, building and expanding on past research activities. The overall aim remains the production of consistent, structured and reliable sectoral intelligence in the field of Employment and Training, while monitoring market changes and challenges in the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear world. In addition to the restructured and updated four reports, a fifth report will investigate funding opportunities to support future activities in relevant areas, following the recommendations of the Council for the sector.
Industrial Skills Partnerships, the national observatories participating in the TCLF Skills Council, are now carrying out bi- and tri-lateral activities, aimed at exploiting joint ideas or transferring identified methods, tools and good practices where relevant for in their respective countries. These activities have been largely fuelled by the climate of mutual understanding and cooperation and the knowledge gathered from the onset of the ESC.
The Social Partners and Industrial Skills Partnerships are fully engaged in strengthening the networking and the activities of the TCLF Council. This expansion has two dimensions: firstly, the Footwear industry, which has always been part of the focus of past activities, is now directly involved in the Council's operations through CEC, the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry, which sits as the latest addition to both Council and its Board. Secondly, new stakeholders in the countries currently present in the Council are expected to be involved, as well as –morecrucially–observatories and stakeholders from Member States not previously present. This will allow to raise the number of organisations interested in the development of skills and qualifications in the TCLF sector.
Dissemination and communication activities are being deployed, in order to raise awareness of skills- and qualification-related issues, increase the involvement of sectoral stakeholders, enhance the impact of the Council's reach and communicate the relevance of the work taking place in its context. Thus, this year, the Council continues the regular publication of its newsletter, distributed to a network of 500 specific partners in the business world, trade union movement, research institutes, universities and schools, and the press. In addition, a revamping of its web portal is planned, with a simpler, clearer structure, more intuitive navigation, a friendlier design and all the relevant services and information where they are needed.
A large final conference, on 28 November, wraps up the year's work programme. Other observatories; EU, national and regional authorities; workers' organisations; Vocational Education and Training providers and institutions; industrial players; the press and the public at large join representatives from the European Commission, the Social Partners and national Industry Skills Partnerships (ISPs) to exchange ideas and discuss priorities based on the newly updated reports, presented on this occasion. It is a further occasion for raising awareness on the issues addressed, presenting the work produced over the year and taking stock of the overall results achieved by the Council so far.
9 1 2015 - The Edugame dedicated to textile has been traslated into French from its original Dutch, and is now available online! [+]
12 11 2014 - Leather chemicals manufacturer Stahl has launched a new knowledge and training initiative aiming at developing expertise throughout the leather production chain in order to improve overall sustainability. [+]
28 11 2014 Brussels, Belgium (BE)
Social Partners, Skills Council Partners, European Commission representatives and stakeholders of the Commerce sector gather in Brussels for the presentation of the ESSC Commerce 2014 Report.
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18 3 2014 Brussels, Belgium (BE)
The Social Partners and the Industry Skills Partnerships for the Textile, Clothing and Leather Sector meet and evaluate the work done so far, discuss possible expansion and monitor progress on research towards the new reports. [+]
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