On October 3, 2005 Europe’s leather research and training centres, together with a number of European leather trade associations, launched the start of One Leather Training”, an EU supported project that will develop a multilingual Internet platform capable of delivering professional training and skills development for tannery workers and managers as well as initial training to unemployed people and first job seekers

Launched in Naples, at the SSIP, the project partners are CTIC (Portugal), LGR (Germany), ELKEDE (Greece), UK Leather Federation (former BLC, United Kingdom), PIPS (Poland), AIICA (Spain), SSIP (Italy) and ICPI (Romania). COTANCE and ETUF-TCL, the respective employers’ and workers’ organisations at EU level, as well as Scalconsult, a consultancy specialised in innovative training systems, will assist in the project.

The project partners held their kick-off meeting under the chairmanship of Dr Alcino Martinho, director of CTIC and current GERIC president. CTIC, the Portuguese leather research and training centre, is the coordinator of this European leather-training course.

The initiative received approval and financial support of the EU through the Leonardo da Vinci Programme and is a follow-up project to a previous Leonardo pilot project  (Self Training Kit for the Leather Industry) developed by almost the same partnership. This second exercise expands the group to Italy (SSIP), Spain (AIICA) and Romania (ICPI); widens the number of languages; adds a new professional profile (Raw Materials Purchase Manager); reviews, updates and adapts the existing content so that it also allows unemployed and first job seekers to get acquainted with tanning operations; and develops an Internet platform where the training courses can be accessed.