Fashion Earth Alliance
Vocational Excellence and Enterprise united for training, policy reform and sustainability in the fashion, textiles and apparel industries
Project Number
101055934
Funding Programme
Erasmus+ CoVE – Centres of Vocational Excellence
Budget
€1,606,432.40
Duration
06/2022 – 05/2026 (48 months)
Countries
Greece – Spain – Bulgaria – Romania – Germany – Sweden
Fashion is a cornerstone of the European economy: its value chain provides direct employment to roughly 5 million people, with more than 1 million more working in the high-end segment. EU exports to the rest of the world account for over 30% of the global market, generating a turnover of €50 billion in 2019.
Yet, as Euratex (the European apparel and textile confederation) points out, one of the industry’s toughest challenges is finding — and keeping — a qualified workforce. This is exactly what FEA-VEE sets out to address: building a shared vision and joint strategies to counter both the sector’s fading appeal and the gap in required skills, while making cooperation between the different stakeholders easier through an online networking platform.
Objectives
What the project aims to achieve
- To set out a Green Entrepreneurship policy-reform pathway that embeds sustainability considerations into business planning.
- To foster entrepreneurship through start-ups and incubation.
- To draw more young people into the fashion, textile and clothing sectors, shaping a new generation of workers with recognized VET qualifications — skilled, competent and ready for the labor demands of the 21st century, trained through work-based learning and apprenticeships carried out hand-in-hand with industry.
- To help the sector move towards greener, more circular and more sustainable economic models, grounded in ethics and fair-trade values.
- To strengthen the entrepreneurial skills and competences of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.
Expected Results
What the project will deliver
- Training materials tailored to two audiences: (a) teachers and trainers, and (b) students and graduates.
- New synergies between VET providers and businesses, designed to encourage apprenticeships for young graduates.
- An in-depth report mapping the current state of the sector, of education and of entrepreneurship in each partner country.
- An online Transnational Cooperation Platform, serving as a permanent communication channel between fashion stakeholders.
- A national-level apprenticeship scheme offering 20 young graduates (5 per educational organisation) three months of hands-on experience.
- Two study visits — in Germany and Spain — involving a total of 60 VET learners.
- Three policy reports, covering labor-market skills for the fashion/textile industry, sustainability in the fashion/textile industry, and green entrepreneurship.
Project Activities
7 Work Packages (WP)
Project management and coordination
Research and Innovation
Online Transnational Cooperation Platform
Teaching and Learning
Collaboration and Industry Engagement
Support for Policy Reform
Dissemination and exploitation of results
Project Partners
12 organisations from 6 countries in total
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project No: 101055934
