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/ Magazine / Other Articles / Textile professional training, can opportunities arise from challenges?
As Detergo, we are now undertaking a formation tour among the professional training Centres in Italy to understand the potential and challenges in sourcing specific professional figures that companies in the textile care market critically need
We are starting with Centrocot SpA, located in the textile district of Busto Arsizio, in the northern part of Milan, between Milan and Varese, along the Olona valley. Centrocot is an Italian centre of excellence in applied research and technological development. Since 1987, it has been supporting companies operating in the textile, fashion, and technical clothing sectors, providing highly specialized services. With over 100 employees, the center provides more than 2.000 types of laboratory tests, product and process certifications, and training. It is precisely on this last aspect, the training, that we focus our attention by talking about it with Paola Tambani, Training Manager.
Centrocot is a specialized service company whose core business is represented by laboratory tests, certifications, research and development,” says Paola Tambani. “We are also an accredited training center by Regione Lombardia (and not only). Leveraging our experience and our know-how, we offer technical training courses to both companies and individuals.
We offer courses related to all aspects of textile merchandising and technology, from raw materials to the final product for market release. Which are the raw materials? What are their characteristics? Yarn characteristics, spinning processes, application fields, knitted and orthogonal weaving, enriching processes, packaging, and more.
By dealing with measurements and testing, we offer training programs on quality control for various materials in the supply chain, linked to specialized tests on particular products, like personal protective equipment and sportswear. Our training portfolio also comprises everything related to new scenarios such as sustainability and circular economy. Regarding the subject of circular economy, we have established MultiLAB, a research and experimentation laboratory, for the recycling in various sectors, that has received excellent feedback. We are also transversally involved in product and process certifications focusing on sustainability and circular economy, as well as other certifications such as OEKO-TEX® (Centrocot is a member institute of the Association), GOTS and GRS.
The International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology (OEKO-TEX®) is a union of 18 independent research and testing institutes based in Europe and Japan, with representative offices worldwide. The member institutes are responsible for the joint development of testing methods and limit values that form the basis for product labels according to the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®, and LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® models, as well as the certification of production sites according to STeP by OEKO-TEX® (Sustainable Textile Production). Other services provided by the OEKO-TEX® association include the My- STeP database for supply chain management and the ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® for the verification of chemicals and auxiliary products. Responding the new European directives is the RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS certification, allowing the integration of due diligence measures into company management systems through an initial self-assessment tool and a certification process. Based on their activities and expertise, OEKO-TEX® member institutes provide significant inputs for innovations in the textile and clothing industry, contributing significantly to the development of high-quality textile products.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is promoted by leading international organizations in organic agriculture in order to ensure responsible and sustainable development in the textile sector. The broad international recognition it has achieved allows those who produce and sell organic textile products to have a certification accepted in all major markets.
The Global Recycle Standard is promoted by the Textile Exchange, one of the most important international non-profit organizations for responsible and sustainable development in the textile sector. The standard acknowledges the importance of recycling for the growth of a sustainable production and consumption model, aiming to promote the reduction of resource consumption.
The sustainability report is a document that measures environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, demonstrating the company’s commitment to promoting sustainable and responsible practices, and measuring progress towards predetermined sustainability goals.
Specifically, the sustainability report:
– describes and measures the economic, social and environmental impacts produced by the company
– illustrates the company’s values and its governance
– highlights how the company contributes to the achievement of sustainable development goals necessary to improve the company’s sustainability performance
The report includes indicators and targets related to areas such as gender equality, use of renewable energy, respect for human rights, inclusiveness, employee well-being, and worklife balance.
Directive number 95 of 2014 (2014/95/EU), adopted by the European Parliament and Council only at the end of 2016, has made sustainability reporting mandatory.
The implementation of the rules outlined in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will take place from 2024 onwards, in several stages:
– from 1 January 2024, for large enterprises with more than 500 employees
– from 1 January 2025, for large enterprises that, at the end of the financial year, exceed 2 of the following 3 criteria: € 20 million in total assets, € 40 million in net turnover, 250 average annual employees
– from 1 January 2026, for SMEs and other listed companies.
The obligation to submit a sustainability report will also apply to all non-European companies that generate net revenues from sales and services exceeding €150 million in the EU and have at least one subsidiary or branch in the EU that exceeding certain thresholds.
We are also very active in the field of Ecodesign, with its 14 specific Eco-design requirements outlined within the proposed European directive (not operational yet); the companies are already asking us to be informed and trained in advance on the specifications (as outlined in the directive) to avoid being caught unprepared. These are companies that are already collaborating with our MultiLAB on recycling and reuse-oriented projects. Training is the starting point for new strategies. Financed by Fondimpresa and in partnership with Confindustria Varese, in December, we presented a training plan for some companies under Notice 4/2023 of the Fondimpresa system account. This notice is dedicated to the themes of sustainability and circular economy, with Confindustria Varese acting as the lead organization. Since 2014, we have decided to join the (multiregional) ITS Cosmo foundation, which operates in the field of textile and fashion training. As you can see, collaborations in the field of education are numerous and diverse”.
Mainly in the context of post-diploma courses, with a technical focus and targeting young individuals; the regional regulations stipulate for a minimum of 20 students per course. Technical courses are perceived as less appealing compared to those centred on “fashion” or communication and marketing. The post-diploma proposal concerns the annual IFTS (Higher Technical Education and Training) course “Textile Innovation & New Materials.” Despite the challenges, we launched the eighth edition in January, updating it as a proposal each year (550 hours of classroom training and 450 hours of internship). The course aims to train product technicians, providing a comprehensive foundation on textile merchandising, quality control, supply chain, with a strong focus on sustainability and circular economy principles”.
“First and foremost, we have excellent occupational results and our students can be employed for quality control, raw material purchasing, marketing, technical design, style office and creativity positions. In some cases, we have graduates attending these courses as a kind of in-depth master’s degree or to complete their specialisation in relation to the market demands”.
“I think that certain professions in our industry are not wellknown and are not really understood, especially in the specific field of fashion. There is a world of professions that many people cannot foresee. In the textile sector, there is a technical design aspect that requires the knowledge of materials, including the highly innovative ones. It’s a fascinating profession. We’ve also observed in our courses that there is a kind of aversion or reluctance towards anything related to production. Some departmental technicians develop specific and distinctive skills through experience”.
“It is necessary to act with systemic actions; an individual training institution alone cannot make a difference. Institutional, economic and associative realities, whether regional or from the industry should work in harmony. Even the simplest actions are important; why not considering young ambassadors who can share their skills, experiences, and professionalism with their peers? Working in the textile sector is rewarding and professionalizing. Over the years, enrolments in the fashion system study program (a five-year course of study) have significantly decreased. Even at the university level, textile engineering is not experiencing great popularity. However, across Europe, this enrolment crisis is not so significant”.
“The textile sector is mostly composed of small and medium-sized enterprises. Some companies have undergone strong innovation, have renewed their machinery and have embraced digitalization. Many others still maintained a traditional approach, and I presume they may not be particularly appealing to young individuals. An innovative environment is more stimulating, and the competition to attract resources and talents will also play out on this front. The lack of professional figures, however, also concerns workers operating on the weaving looms, as well as in dyeing and finishing. Perhaps it is a generational issue, as many young people do not prefer these types of professions, even though they offer professional and, on average, well-paying work”.
“We are not a job placement centre. Delivering courses with a limited number of students, with only a few dozen, allows us to follow the students more carefully both during their studies, internships and for their placement in companies. In our courses, there is a direct relationship with the teacher, the possibility of asking for more in-depth information, a timetable, tests and educational visits. Students essentially feel “guided” and supported. The training has a professional focus, also because the trainers work in the industry and concrete cases are explained in the classroom”.
“The analysis of the companies’ needs, especially those from the region (but not only), is almost constant because there is a strong synergy with the companies for all our activities,” emphasizes Paola Tambani. “When we propose a course or a new professional figure, we do it through internal working groups and a close dialogue with technicians and entrepreneurs who revolve around Centrocot. We often conduct classes in companies, where technicians and entrepreneurs come to the classroom and testify about their activities, and, last but not least, the internship. There is an exchange relationship, almost osmosis, between companies and Centrocot”.
“Our research and development area deals with these aspects. Our Multilab conducts research and experiments in the field of recycling and recovery of secondary raw materials and has developed an advanced platform: M3P Next Generation. Through a database of materials, technologies, skills, and services, it allows us to respond to sustainability needs and give a second life to industrial waste and scrap. Consider, for example, the management of chemicals in companies: Centrocot is a Contributor and Training Provider for ZDHC; we have started a partnership with GoBlu International Ltd. (GoBlu) to promote chemical transparency and sustainability in the textile and fashion industry in Italy. This collaboration aims to enable brands and retailers to achieve full chemical transparency in their supply chain while supporting suppliers in complying with the latest customer and industry requirements. Thanks to Centrocot’s specialized testing, verification, certification, and training services, and GoBlu’s innovative digital platform, The BHive®, stakeholders in Italy now have access to a wide range of resources for the adoption and management of more sustainable chemicals.
The acronym stands for Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals. It is an international programme to steer textile, clothing and footwear value chains towards the use of safer chemicals).
The BHive® is a smart and digital platform for chemical management, developed for both suppliers and brands. It simplifies the chemical management process, otherwise time-consuming, by digitizing all stages, from entering chemicals to analysis, performance management, and reporting to brand partners”.
“Centrocot does not only operate on at local level, its customers are both national and international. Our research and development area has constant relationships with universities, research centres and companies both nationally and across Europe”.
“If we consider certain technical figures that have developed a certain level of experience (given the scarcity of resources and competition among companies), the salaries are high. Professions with a capital P require investments in training, and the return is not arriving so quickly when you first join a company,” concludes Paola Tambani.
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