There are those who study to become designers and create their own line of footwear, those who already have experience and are improving in specific stages of the creative process: future trimmers, shoe designers or fitters study at the Polo Tecnologico Conciario( POTECO), in Santa Croce sull’Arno, more and more central in providing professional figures to the leather chain. Some footwear-classes started last January and they are finishing these days, and in the POTECO experimental shoe conveyors There is huge buzz among the students.
Study as to be inside a factory. The experimental conveyor replicates precisely a real shoe factory, where students can learn all shoe production stages «and immediately put into practice what they have learnt, through an immediate and constant practice expected in all classes’: explains Leonardo Volpi, POTECO managing director and tanning entrepreneur, who emphasizes the usefulness of courses “that know how to convey that fundamental know-how, especially for crafts related to craftsmanship and Manufacture ‘.
Internships and comparison with entrepreneurs. About 35 students who are completing the first vet courses of 2018 concerning the footwear, as Sara Schenk, 21 years old from Castelfranco di Sotto, a student of “Aggiunteria”, who had already worked in a shoe upper factory and thanks to the course she got the chance to improve her knowledge about shoe processing, or Manuel Tramontana, 27 years old from Ponsacco and Matteo Biagi, 29 years old from Pontedera: for them, interested in becoming shoe designers, the course called “Taglio” (shape) has been useful in providing information about the whole process of footwear, also thanks to the presence of entrepreneurs in the class who acted as tutors and recruiters. Lisetta Torre and Massimiliano Costagli coordinated the two courses, supported by Gianluca Papini of Toscana Manifattura, the Association of category active with POTECO to define and design the structure and objectives of the courses. The students of the course “Merceologia” (Commodities) are instead performing the final part directly in sector companies, such as James Axholli, 24 years old, who thanks to the course has understood the importance of using leather and quality materials in creating a shoe.
A placement between 70 and 90%, as result of valid programmes, shared between entrepreneurs, school and companies, POTECO training aims at consolidating further: «The success of this type of ongoing training- says Volpi – is good chance for the students who can find a satisfactory job as well as for the whole sector connected to the leather chain that to remain competitive needs specific professionalism able to facilitate the generational change in the company. In the coming months new courses will be on the tanning process. ‘