“ICT IN TEXTILE AND CLOTHING HIGHER EDUCATION AND BUSINESS”

The aim of the project is to develop a curriculum and syllabuses that meet the requirements of the business to the specialists working in the field of textile and clothing design and production.

The project responds to the tremendous need for industry executives, especially those who can work with CAD, CAM, CAE and PLM systems requiring a higher level of ICT proficiency.

The curriculum of "Information Technology in Design of Textile and Clothing", which is to be created, aims precisely at providing knowledge and skills for engineering design and production of textiles and clothing on programmable machines. It is aimed at specialists holding a Bachelor's degree in the field of technical sciences or ICT. The target groups are both young people who are still looking for their professional realization, and those who already work but need to improve their qualifications.

In order for the curriculum to be as responsive as possible to the requirements of the business, the project provides for the development of a survey and a preliminary needs analysis among European companies to specify their needs. The long-term experience of the partners in the training of specialists as well as the results of the survey will allow for the development of a curriculum, the content of which will be in line with the requirements of the business. Prior to its final approval, it will be discussed with industry chambers and associations in partner countries.

The syllabus will be structured in modules. Some of them will be suitable for all industries, for example, Introduction to Informatics and Information Technology, Quality Control, Entrepreneurship, etc., others will be targeted to a particular industry, such as Design and Production of Knitted Products, Design and Production of Fabrics, Design and Production of Clothing, etc.

Individual modules will be developed by university professors, with the active involvement of consortium associations, clusters, business companies and a centre of continuous training. The development of individual modules will be done in separate work packages, with a leading partner depending on the specifics of the module.

What will distinguish the new plan from the existing ones so far?

• It will be entirely practical. Therefore, students are required to have at least a Bachelor's degree.
• Individual modules will be interactive and will provide benefit via distance learning, which is an advantage for people who are already working.

Course materials will be available on both the AUTEX site and the project website. The participants will be able to use and include those materials in their Masters programs either entirely or partially.

Open and responsible partnership management between citizens, the business and the Employment Agency for the improvement of the socio-economic environment in the textile and clothing sector

On December 27, 2018 the "Specialised Claster and Institute for Apparel and Textile - Danube"(SCIAT-Danube) started a partnership project " Open and responsible partnership management between citizens, the business and the Employment Agency for the improvement of the socio-economic environment in the textile and clothing sector"
BG05SFOP001-2.009-0027-C01 with the Employment Agency Agency under the procedure BG05SFOP001-2.009 "Increasing citizen participation in the processes of
formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies and legislation " Operational Program "Good Governance" 2014-2020.
The total value of the project is BGN 89 982.57 and the grant is provided to the partners in the following proportion: 85% from the European Social Fund and 15% from the national co-financing.

The association "Specialised Claster and Institute for Apparel and Textile - Danube"(SCIAT-Danube) is a non-governmental organization with long experience and energetic activity, focused entirely on supporting the textile and apparel industry in Bulgaria. SCIAT-Danube is a progressive and dynamic organization that claims to represent one of the leading business sectors in our country, namely the textile and clothing industry.

In the frame of the project SCIAT-Danube will establish an active partnership with the Employment Agency (EA), which in its capacity as an executive agency at the MLSP is responsible for the implementation of the state policy on employment promotion.

The project proposal aims to overcome the existing imbalance in demand and supply of working force at the national level. Through their partnership, SCIAT-Danube and the EA will try to stimulate the Bulgarian business in the textile and apparel industry to overcome existing structural mismatches, namely labor shortages. The project proposal will be based entirely on analyzing the labor market situation in the sector through a set of activities - survey, analysis, training, round table and publicity of project results.

The SCIAT-Danube team will study the needs of the sewing and textile industry by analyzing the labor market problems and formulating proposals for solving them. The project aims to support the Employment Agency by issuing recommendations for improving its activity and regulating the labor market processes in the contemporary conditions.

As a result of the implementation of the project, it is expected:

- achieving partnership between citizens, SCIAT-Danube, the EA and the textile and apparel sector - increasing the activity of SCIAT-Danube and the business in the implementation of the policy for employment promotion in the industry - improving the socio-economic environment in the textile and apparel sector as a result of the synergies achieved between the public and the EA.

Excellence Practices of Dual Education in Clothing Industry (ExTend) Nr. 2014-1-BG01-KA201-001515

The Project Excellence Practices of Dual Education in Clothing Industry (ExTend) Nr. 2014-1-BG01-KA201-001515 is financed by the Erasmus+ Program KA2 – Cooperation and Innovation for Good Practices.

Three basic scopes are set to be addressed by the project Excellence Practices of Dual Education in Clothing Industry (ExTend):

The convergence in professional education between old and new EU members especially in Clothing industry.

The enlarging gap between skills and experience that are required by the business and the given knowledge and practical skills by the schools.

The increasing exclusion of pupils because of economic reasons.

The project is aimed to explore these good practices from Germany and Austria that could improve not just the youth inclusion on the labor market but also could help the clothing businesses to find high motivated and well prepared young workers.

Why the project is important?

There are a lot of publications connected to the need and implementation of dual education in professional schools. But all of them have some weaknesses as the next:

• The effects of practical education to the labor force are not enough well known. There are unrevealed problems: How the inclusion of youths in the labor market will help to develop these youths or the businesses? Do businesses prepare for the youth workers – how they could manage/divide operations between young and adult workers? How to measure not just economic but social and demographic results of dual education?, and etc.
• The process of preparation of the society for the dual school education is also as a “black hole”. There have to be prepared not just youths for full-economic inclusion, but also their school teachers and respectively – business mentors. What these three groups have to know before, during and after the dual education in schools? How will control and/or validate their skills and experience? Who and how will set and audit the quality of this education?, and etc.
• The dual professional education is still not recognized by the Bulgarian National Secondary Education Authorities.

In controversy, we have very good practices for dual education in old-EU member states. They are connected as to the professional competencies of the youths as well as to the national frameworks in Secondary education, human resource management and economic growth. Even though these good practices are not applicable to the Bulgarian Education and Labor systems, these practices could be modified to be more helpful for the economic, social and demographic reality in Bulgaria.

In addition, we have the oldest industrial sector in Bulgaria (Clothing industry) with more than 180 years of development. So, the implementation of innovative practices will be too hardily as for the society as well as for the business.

Needs covered by the project:

• The need of reducing exclusion on youths by economic reasons – the dual education helps the pupils to graduate their Secondary education at the same time with getting financial support by working.
• The need of developing a traditional business with adequate labor decisions – the pupils orients their education and personal development to most economy attractive profession. So, many Bulgarian clothing entities couldn’t find appropriate labor force neither young nor adult.
• The need of youth to be active (economic and social) – the economic freedom of youths will help them to participate in different social events. The extra money that pupils had to receive during their dual education could force up their confidence and social inclusion.

The project is pointed to introduce some good European practices to the Bulgarian society and practices in Clothing Industry.

Basic issues addressed by the project:

• Analysis of the perspectives and challenges of the dual education in clothing industry – how theory and practice could combine in Secondary education in Bulgaria?
• Systematization of basic elements of dual education in Clothing industry with priority of applicable in Bulgarian case ones – how the measure the effects of dual education?
• Identification of preliminary knowledge that is differed by the maim focus-group, respectively: pupils, business mentors, school teachers.

The overall goal of the project is to create a strategic transnational partnership focused on solving the specific problems of the garment industry by transferring good practices and successful practices in human capital development policies.

Improving the market position of "Specialized cluster and institute for clothing and textiles" at national and international level

Main goal of the project is development of a cluster market strategy .The Strategy is focused in two main directions:

1. Establishing international contacts in order to include the cluster in a network with similar organizations and opening new markets for the realization of the products of its members;
2. Strengthening the role of the cluster at the local level in order to create a unified image of the organization and turn it into an active participant in determining the strategic goals for the development of the industry.

The overall goal of the project is to create a strategic transnational partnership focused on solving the specific problems of the garment industry by transferring good practices and successful practices in human capital development policies.

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. Study of the specific needs and deficits of company policies for management and development of human resources in the garment industry in the target region;
2. Research and adaptation of successful German practices in the field of human resources development in the garment industry;
3. Presentation, promotion, research of the possibilities for implementation and pilot application of adapted innovative models and successful practices among the target group;
4. Formation of capacity for future partnership for transfer of successful experience and practices in search of common solutions to specific problems of the branch.