BIENNIAL SCHOOL OF EYEWEAR
A course for specializing as an "advanced-level technician in eyewear design and manufacture" A school of eyewear has been opened in the heart of the Cluster: the Veneto Region (pursuant to Italian Regional Council Resolution DGR 2028 of October 28, 2014) has allocated to the COSMO Foundation – of which Certottica is a founding member – significant funding for the implementation of a two-year course for the specialization of 20 "advanced-level technicians in eyewear design and manufacture" based on specific requirements of the eyewear industry. Certottica will handle its implementation in Longarone. "I want to reiterate my own closeness to and interest in the eyewear cluster together with that of the Regional Council. It is the pride of Veneto entrepreneurship, an excellent showcase for our Community abroad, the value and identity of the Veneto mountains. The eyewear segment has made a decisive contribution to limiting the exodus from mountain areas by younger generations in search of professional opportunities and social environments that are often deemed to be more attractive albeit not necessarily better", stated Councilwoman Elena Donazzan. The school of eyewear offers a two-year course of 1300 hours of teaching and practical laboratory work and 700 hours of apprenticeship: classes are scheduled to start on December 18, 2014. The Fondazione Istituto Tecnico Superiore (ITS), New Technologies for Made in Italy, Fashion and Footwear segment – or COSMO – was set up in 2010 with the aim of ensuring the continuous availability of advanced technicians at post-secondary level in response to demand from the world of labor - in this case the fashion eyewear sector. Certottica promotes the training of experts who are able to work in the eyewear planning, design and manufacturing sector with high levels of independence, responsibility and know-how, characteristics that are essential for entering today's labor market. The initiative stems from the view that education must be integrated with "hands-on" training and laboratory training that simulates the working environment so that young people have the technical skills and ability to operate methodically that will take them quickly and effectively into the world of work. Preparation will be optimized as a function of what companies really need and will facilitate the meeting of demand for and offer of employment. "It is a teaching system established to guarantee qualified turnover for companies. At this particular stage in the economy, they are returning to culture and craftsmanship as elements that identify Made in Italy fashion products and therefore more than ever feel the need to deliver artisan knowledge integrated with the technical and technological knowledge at the basis of their success" stated Councilwoman Donazzan. "Companies feel a strong need to put across the eyewear culture as a heritage and corporate value that has vitality if it assimilates with technological innovation, socio-cultural evolution, fashion trends (shapes, colors, sizes), performance, functional and ergonomic requirements, iconic value and the message to be conveyed externally. The school intends to create an environment for young people who have been trained for these sectors and are ready to take on positions of responsibility in the area of eyewear planning, product development and manufacturing processes." Throughout Italy 56 Foundations have been set up and their mission is to train advanced-level technicians in the strategic sectors of industrial development. 6 are based in Veneto and Certottica is the only training institute in the Province of Belluno to have joined an ITS Foundation. The biennial school gathers the across-the-board interests of companies in the Eyewear Cluster and offers certain short term prospects of employment in our territory. It represents a tangible sign of proximity to companies and young people who want to build their future in the area. "We are convinced that for the future we can and must do more to apply the terms of the Regional Charter that recognizes the specific character of the Veneto mountains, which must be guaranteed an oriented and coordinated development policy system. Only facts and not promises together with a truly federalist system and the abolition of tax privileges will stop the demagogic drive – that often smacks of adventure without real prospects and with an unknown outcome – and return the hope and prospect of a better future to the Veneto mountains", the Councilwoman concluded.
