University tie-up will help footwear sector find new talent, AEC says
Spain’s national association of footwear component manufacturers AEC has announced a commitment to support students on Miguel Hernández University’s fashion technology management course.
The university, located in Elche, close to the country’s biggest footwear manufacturing hub, launched the course two years ago. Head of its school of economics and society, María José López Sánchez, said AEC had helped it design the course’s content, making “very interest recommendations that we have followed”.
She said the course has proved popular with students and that there is a waiting list of people waiting to enrol.
AEC has now said it will award grants to students who have enrolled on the course, with total funding of up to €6000 each year for the next five years. The organization’s president, Manuel Román Ibáñez, said he hoped the funding would make joining the course a possibility for students who, otherwise, might not be able to for financial reasons.
Mr Román added that the agreement with the university would help build strong links between the industry and the education sector. He said: “We want more young people to come into the industry and contribute to its development. The footwear sector needs new talent, young people who are well prepared to face the challenges of the future.”
