Twenty seven BSLT (British School of Leather Technology) students from ten countries attended a course in leather finishing run by Stahl all the basics of modern finishing technology. For most of the week the students were divided into five groups, each of which was given finishing formulations to work with using predetermined samples of automotive, upholstery, garment, split, shoe and leather goods leathers.
This year Stahl arranged for its Leather Finishing Week at the British School of Leather Technology in Northampton to be more extensive than before. It was supervised jointly by Peter Jessop and Wolfgang Schmälzle, both of whom came over especially from Waalwijk, and was run in close cooperation with senior lecturer Karl Flowers and head of the leather department Paul Richardson.]
Most of the students on the course were close relatives of tannery owners and for this reason showed a very positive interest in the training received. One or two were from government institutions and were returning to advisory positions. In both instances, the students’ futures are likely to lie more in management and marketing where the background and practical experience attained in these courses will prove invaluable as they and their companies develop over the coming years.
