Ceramic Industry Training Programme

A new training programme of exceptional financial scale has been launched for the ceramic industry. The programme is highly innovative in terms of its geographical scope and the issues that it addresses and it is expected to play a major strategic role for companies. This important continuous training initiative has been made possible through the joint efforts of Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian ceramic manufacturers’ association), Fondimpresa (the largest Italian interprofessional fund devoted to continuous training) and Cerform (the Sassuolo-based training institute devoted to the sector).

The training activities will begin in the Sassuolo ceramic cluster where the majority of Italian tile and technology production is concentrated, but will also extend to the area of Civita Castellana in the Lazio region, Vietri sul Mare in Campania, Genoa and other areas in the Liguria region, Milan and its hinterland, as well as the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. With available funds totalling more than half a million euro, this truly nationwide programme is open to employees of companies producing ceramic tiles, ceramic sanitaryware, bricks and roof tiles, and machinery and equipment for ceramic production.

While catering for the needs of individual companies, the training initiatives adopt a systemic, shared approach to business development models that include continuous worker training. The actions will focus on four different areas. The first is innovation in terms of product, process and organisation; the second is that of dimensional enterprise growth, with a special focus on the necessary professional and process competences. The third consists of training activities for improving inter-company integration, given that dimensional growth is a key factor for increasing competitiveness. The fourth area concerns expertise for successfully operating in the international market, an essential arena for an industry that globally exports more than 60% of its output and boasts significant internationalisation of production.

This complex and sophisticated continuous training programme is based on a system of consultation with the social partners at both a national and corporate level. The courses use cutting-edge teaching methods (including online e-learning) and adopt an innovative approach to content creation, which includes greater involvement of companies as partners and content designers.