Students on the Higher Vocational Training course in Leather Techniques took part in active learning to deepen their knowledge of the world of leather.

On 23 January, students on the Higher course in Leather Techniques at the La Gaspar School of Art and Design in Igualada attended the last of a total of five training sessions delivered by Leather Cluster Barcelona.

Led by Jonatan Cuadrado, the cluster’s project manager, the sessions form part of a training programme based on active learning so that La Gaspar students can deepen their knowledge of the world of leather.

The training had two strands, one more theoretical and the other practical, giving students a comprehensive view of the production process of leather tanning.

At Adoberia Bella, the headquarters of Leather Cluster Barcelona, Jonatan Cuadrado delivered a master class over the course of the training on processes, types of tanning, finishing techniques and leather quality controls.

Complementing the theory, the students on La Gaspar’s Higher Vocational Training course in Leather Techniques were able to experience the leather production process live through various visits to the tanneries of Miret i Companyia, Curtits Badia and Despell, and to see at first hand how the leather industry is a key player in the circular economy, recovering and recycling a by-product of the food sector so that it does not become waste and turning it into elegant, noble products that are useful to society.

This training for La Gaspar students is a further step in the cluster-based cooperation between the La Gaspar municipal school of art and design in Igualada, a member centre of the cluster, and Leather Cluster Barcelona.

For years now, La Gaspar and the cluster have been generating synergies and forging collaborations, working together on projects in areas ranging from innovation to sustainability, the circular economy and training.

La Gaspar in Igualada is committed to an ambitious growth project that seeks to position it as a national and international benchmark in the field of neo-craftsmanship in leather, with a clear focus on vocational training aimed at preparing students who can enter the labour market quickly. The methodology fosters skills in leather design, prototyping and production, creating professionals capable of meeting the sector’s needs.

Leather Cluster Barcelona supports La Gaspar’s leather design studies in the conviction that a commitment to neo-craftsmanship strengthens the cluster’s business cooperation ecosystem, boosts the leather sector and prepares students to face the challenges of today’s creative industry.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is a competitive cooperation environment for promoting cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects with the aim of driving forward the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector within the framework of Shared Value policies. The cluster is an accredited body within the Catalonia Clusters programme and has the support of Acció.