About the project
This project is funded by the European Commission, 2012–2014.
This European Commission Leonardo project aims to recognise qualifications and competencies and the development of common European competence profiles for upholsterers and cabinet makers, who together make up some 50% of skilled workers in the European wood and furniture sector. These core profiles support the activities to raise the quality of existing national vocational education and training (VET) programmes for cabinet making and upholstery by contributing to mobility through recognition of the identified common core profiles within Europe.
Against the background of globalisation and increasingly required flexibility of the workforce, demographic developments and growing demand for skilled workers in the sector, as well as for transparency in education and qualifications, it is necessary to go beyond the mere comparison of educational systems and the respective recognition of qualifications. Although the national systems of vocational education vary widely, the work processes and resulting competence requirements are very similar.
With ProBE taking on an internal evaluator role, the project aimed to develop profiles based on these similarities and on an extensive examination of national qualifications and competence requirements in the sector, taking account too of future needs. The project results fed into the European social dialogue and have been disseminated widely across Europe. The long-term goal is to achieve a broad acceptance and mutual recognition of the core occupation profiles.
The project consortium consisted of social partners, their European umbrella organisations and training providers, and the project involved stakeholders of the wood and furniture industry. Countries involved include Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania.
Contact
For further information, email Professor Linda Clarke at [email protected].
Output
Read the Bolster-up Handbook for European Furniture Professions on the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers website.