News
CATEGORY: Socioeconomic development, Programme Management, Economic Development
LOCATION: Turkey
START/END: 2002-2006
CONSULTANCY BUDGET: 1,939,000 €
CLIENT: European Commission DG Enlargement (ECR Turkey)
ORIGIN OF FUNDING: MEDA
PARTNERS: ELKEDE; Leicester College; SARTECO scuola di moda; Kadir Has University; TASEV
LDK’s BUDGET SHARE: 30%
STAFF PROVIDED: 6
Type of Services
During the project following detailed services were provided:
- preparation of premises\' plans and establishment of requirements in terms of equipment, materials and machinery for the training centers and quality control laboratory. Procurement of approximately €800,000 of shoe-making and QC equipment; selection and recruitment of local trainee trainers, and trainees;
- definition of teaching syllabuses, and execution of training courses (train the trainer & vocational training for industry workers;
- moderation and accreditation of training;
- dissemination of technological knowledge through seminars in two different locations;
- provision of consultancy services directly to local SMEs;
- provision of quality control services directly to local SMEs;
- establishment of an information network on latest technologies, production methods and management techniques.
Description
Turkey's shoe-making sector expanded rapidly in the second half of the 20th century. Total employment in the industry is about 400,000 people and production amounts to some 200 million pairs of shoes a year. There are a few mechanized plants producing up to 12,000 pairs a day, but most shoes are produced using traditional labor intensive methods in small workshops. Turkey began exporting shoes in the 1980s, and began to install modern equipment following a steep rise in demand from the Russian market in the early 1990s. Following the collapse of the Russian market in 1998, and Turkey's rising rates of inflation manufacturers are suffering from excess production capacity.
The project aimed to increase the qualifications and skills of workers employed by SMEs in the shoe-making sector through the establishment of two centers, one in Ankara to act as information source and CAD-CAM service facility, the other in Istanbul to act as a Vocational Training School and QC Testing Laboratory. Not only were workers introduced to new manufacturing technologies and equipment, but professionals in the teaching sector benefited from the training of trainers courses.
Aiming at reducing unemployment and increasing both the skills of the workforce and the competitiveness of the products of the shoe-making sector, the project strengthened the vocational and technical training in the sector through establishing the training center, which is capable of offering comprehensive and specialized courses in different working techniques, as well as supervisor and manager training. Local trainers have been trained by international experts, enabling provision of improved training to professionals in the shoe sector.
Training was provided to the trainee trainers and through them was provided to the individuals coming from the shoe-making sector in the following fields: art and styling; fashion and design; pattern cutting; CAD-CAM systems; quality control; cutting and closing; lasting to shoe-room; advanced technology and the latest applied management techniques; quality management and control; and management, marketing and finance for footwear SMEs. Seminars were also provided for the higher level management in the sector, covering issues related to management, marketing, and quality control.
