Transcript Diapositiva 1

The comparative research
Carlo Bonora
Samuela Felicioni
Objectives
The Fashion.net pilot project wants to plan and create valueadded European best practices based on the ability of the training
system to play an active and proactive role to foster innovative
and competitive solutions within the textile and clothing sector,
thus strengthening, on the one hand, the adaptability of the labour
market to the work trend and, on the other hand, the skills of
workers and business and institutional management to effectively
lead the processes in favour of product quality.
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Second phase
The second phase of Fashion.net project focused on a study
conducted by the partners and related to:
1. technological investment plans, industrial strategy plans and
investment plans dedicated to research and training
implemented within the project areas supporting the
textile/clothing industry;
2. analysis of professional and training needs and of trainers’
professionalizing processes taking into account the interaction
between the development and the competitiveness of the
textile-clothing industry and the strategic contribution that the
training system can ensure
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Contents of the comparative research
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Introduction
Context of reference
Some data on the textile-clothing industry at European level
Italy
Germany
France
Spain
Romania
Conclusions
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OECD report
According to the OECD report “Education at a glance: OECD
indicators – 2007 Edition”, it is clear that the economies of
OECD countries increasingly depend on a steady supply of
workers with a good education level and that they invest 6.2% of
their GDP in education, focusing more and more on the efficiency
of their education systems.
The spreading of education was accompanied by high
investments: in 1995-2004 the overall expenditure for education
institutions in these countries increased by 42% on average.
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OECD report
The opportunities of education and training increase both for
young students and for adults, but substantial differences arise
among the countries with regard to the rate of attendance to
informal education and continuing training courses.
The report also deals, for the first time, with the problem of
education efficiency and points out the existence of differences
among the countries in terms of education time devoted to
students (the number of hours of lesson time and of years of
study on the subjects), teacher salaries and student-teacher ratio.
These differences may have a negative impact on the quality of
education and training within the different countries.
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The socio-economic framework of the textile-clothing
industry in the EU-25 in 2005
Total employment
Total number of companies
Turnover (billion of euros)
Investment (billion of euros)
Export (billion of euros)
Import (billion of euros)
2005
2,218,729
154,886
198.0
5.1
36.0
71.5
Growth % 2004/2005
-6.9
-6.1
-4.8
-3.3
/
/
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The socio-economic framework
The companies, mainly SMEs, are especially concentrated in the historical,
manufacturing countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Germany.
Furthermore, the sector also plays a role of paramount importance in the Eastern
countries with more than 500 000 workers and 4 000 companies.
By comparing the number of employees in the textile and clothing industry
within Europe, Italy is first with approximately 500 000 employees, followed by
Romania, Poland, Spain and Portugal.
Textile products are mainly manufactured within the Western European
countries, with Italy being first, followed by Spain (second), Great Britain
(third), France (fourth) and Germany (sixth). Romania is fifth and is therefore
the first Eastern country to be included in this list.
On the other hand, clothing items are mainly manufactured within Eastern
European countries. Among the first ten countries employing the highest
number of workers in this sector, Romania is first, Italy second, Poland third,
Bulgaria fourth, Portugal fifth, Spain sixth, France seventh, Great Britain eighth,
Hungary ninth and the Czech Republic tenth. Germany is twelfth; therefore,
three Eastern countries are in the top five positions.
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The socio-economic framework
 These positions can be analysed and understood after
comparing the labour costs in Europe: in the Eastern countries
the cost of labour is between five and twenty times lower than
in the Western countries.
 In this scenario, it is therefore obvious that the
internationalisation process, instead of encouraging the
investments in technological innovation and the measurement,
has caused the relocation of production to low labour cost
countries, thus creating import or free zones within the poor or
developing countries.
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The socio-economic framework
 Every partner country of the FASHION project suffered from
the effects of the relocation of production to those countries
where labour cost was (and still is) very low
 This international work distribution, while granting certain
profit margins to the big companies of the textile/clothing
sector, causes considerable damages to SMEs.
 the sector is mainly characterized by SMEs and by very small
subcontracting companies.
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Main results
 The textile-clothing sector in Europe has undergone significant
transformations over the last years, due to a combination of
technological changes and innovations, trends and
differentiation of production costs and the increase in
international competition.
 In this sector, and not only, structures and forms of the new
and old economy coexist. The textile-clothing industry,
boasting a long history and tradition in all the partner
countries, clearly shows how it is important to combine
nowadays handicraft with technological skills (for example, in
using new materials and fastening) and cross-sector skills (for
example, market and marketing knowledge) typical of the
service industry.
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…main results
Innovation indeed does not only mean conceiving new products,
but also transforming and improving the range of products and
services already existing, effectively managing information,
adapting production and distribution methods, improving
management, work organization and qualification methods of
workers. This is possible by focusing more on vocational
education and training of workers.
The “branch’s typical phenomenon” of outsourcing is mainly
linked to two aspects: on the one side with the drastic reduction
of jobs connected to it, and on the other side also with the key
word “transfer of knowledge”. In this way, a lot of knowledge
will simply get lost or will be relocated together with the
production.
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France, Italy, Spain, Germany
 According to the researches, it is clear that, especially in these
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Countries, the challenges of competitiveness were met by developing a
process of reorganization, modernization and technological progress.
Now most of activities mainly focus on quality and design, and high
value-added products.
In all the countries represented by partners, the sector is indeed
experiencing a process of technical, technological and material
innovation, thus innovating the work methods and the production
process (flexible automation solutions, new technological models of
production and production services –CAD-CAM, technical textiles and
more).
Large investments are therefore needed in research and quality training.
Within the regions involved, institutions pay attention to these needs
and concretely try to support enterprises.
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Romania
 A different case in point is represented by Romania. Before
joining the European Union, Romania experienced for a long
time the relocation of industrial productions to its territory,
thanks to the investments coming from Western-European
companies.
 After joining the Union, many processes of labour cost
adjustment were started, thus reducing the investment profits
of manufacturers coming from Western-European countries.
 This created a significant lack of balance on the labour market
and in the development of the textile-clothing sector itself:
over the last years, thousands of jobs were cut and many
companies, even medium-large sized companies, shut down.
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Training system
 the training system seem to be behind the times almost
everywhere. Something is changing, even if there still are
many difficulties:
 For example, in Germany and France, the training system has
been adapted and implemented for a long time to achieve its
final aim of contributing to development. Government,
companies, the national education system, vocational training
and social partners (at all levels) undersigned agreements and
established framework programs in the field of innovation,
competitiveness and acquisition of professional skills and
knowledge
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A fact shall be pointed out, since it does not comply with the objectives of the
Leonardo da Vinci Program and, in any case, with the European Employment
Strategies: continuing training within the textile-clothing industry is
performed but often concerns highly qualified workers, while only a few
investments concern low-qualified workers.
There is a gap between school and university on one side and companies on
the other. The role of companies in training needs to become strategically
important.
The use of electronics and IT throughout the manufacturing process and the
development of services has resulted in changes to the job profiles of
technicians and managers within the industry. There is a growing need for
more and broader vocational skills, knowledge of foreign languages, mastery
of IT tools and adaptability, arenewal of the teaching method/innovative
teaching strategies. The importance placed on logistics and intangible assets
has also created new opportunities.
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It is necessary to act on the skills and knowledge of work, within one
industry:
 that is involved, more than other industrial fields, in issues related to
equal opportunities for women and men. The traditional textile
sector is very female-oriented. Most of women occupy low-profile
professional positions.
 that is undergoing a strong organizational development;
 that is less “attractive” for young people, therefore characterized by
older workers, also in terms of length of service
 that is undergoing a significant technological development, with
remarkable effects on the technical work. The use of ICTs implies
the need for continuing training, skill adaptation of workers that
otherwise would be at risk to lose their job. With regard to work
training, vocational education and training systems need to be
adapted to re-attract young people to this industry, offering at the
same time skills and knowledge related to new professional profiles
(required by the companies) and reformed qualifications
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