Leather Cluster Barcelona is moving forward with the design of the European project Leather Technician 5.0, an initiative that will be submitted to the Erasmus+ KA220 call (Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education and Training) and aims to create an innovative training model for technicians in the leather sector.
On 15 January, the cluster organised an initial meeting at Adobería Bella with associated companies in order to gain first-hand insight into the current and future needs of professional profiles within the leather industry. This meeting is part of the ongoing work carried out by the Leather Cluster Barcelona team through personalised company visits, where training and the attraction of technical talent have been identified as one of the sector’s main concerns.
During the session, a shared reflection space was created to discuss the major challenges facing the leather industry in terms of training and skills development: the green transition, the digitalisation of production processes, adaptation to new regulatory requirements and the lack of qualified generational replacement, especially in the most technical profiles.
As a result of this joint work with the business community, Leather Cluster Barcelona is already working on the first draft of the Leather Technician 5.0 project. The objective is to design and validate an innovative European training model for leather sector technicians at EQF level 3–4, fully aligned with the real needs of the industry and transferable to different European countries.
The training model will include a strong dual training component, in direct collaboration with associated companies, and will combine key content such as production processes, applied chemistry, sustainability, quality, traceability and digital skills. In addition, it will incorporate hybrid methodologies and digital resources, adapting to new learning formats and the technological evolution of the sector.
Leather Cluster Barcelona is currently in the process of setting up the European consortium, with the planned participation of training centres, sectoral entities, companies and leading international partners, with the aim of providing a joint response to a shared challenge at European level.
These collaborative projects strengthen the role of Leather Cluster Barcelona as a key platform for innovation, internationalisation and sustainability in the Catalan leather sector. Furthermore, the leadership of the Leather Technician 5.0 project is fully aligned with the three strategic lines of the Leather Cluster Barcelona Master Plan 2025–2030: achieving economic self-sufficiency, building prestige and European positioning, and generating real and tangible impact for associated companies.
