Doors close on Turkish leather school
The Hasan Yehmen school for leather professionals has closed its doors for the final time.
Turkish leather's father figure and one of the founding partners of Derimod, Mr. Hasan Yelmen, put up his own money in the mid-1990s to realise his dream of a university-level school for leather professionals. About $1.5-2 million was invested in the building, located in the leather district of Tuzla.
In 2000, an academic link was formed with another private university in Istanbul. Sadly, the high fees charged proved out of reach for most students and a scholarship programme was not yet in place to assist incumbents
Traditionally, the leather sector has sponsored new entrants at the vocational level, (i.e. below 17 years of age). This meant that university-level entrants were relatively few.
Although the school is closed, longer-range discussions focus on developing a centre for leather technology and research and development. A joint venture partner or investor has not been ruled out.
Also, in Istanbul on September 16, Turkey’s first footwear school (the Anatolian Footwear Academy) welcomed 100 new students. The school is administered by the Kadir Has University and the Turkish Footwear Research, Development and Education Foundation (TASEV).
English and Italian leather schools, and a Greek technology consortium, co-operated on the project. About $3 million will go towards equipping the school, including financing its laboratory and accreditation costs.
