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REINFORCING CAPACITIES OF HEIs IN LEATHER AND
FOOTWEAR SECTOR
Nikolaos Bilalis, Aura Mihai, Mehmet Mete Mutlu, Fakhriddin Boboev, Malokat Ilkamova, Jakhongir Gafurov, Bekzhan Abzalbekuly, Gulzinat
Yeldiyar
Abstract. The Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) action from European Union is one of the means that support through international cooperation projects, the modernization and responsiveness of third countries' Higher Education Institutes and third parties active in the field of Education, in recent trends and in various industrial sectors. The REILEAP project (Reinforcing Capacities in HEIs for Leather and Leather Products in Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan) is such an action focused on leather and leather products. Its main aim is to support the modernization of the leather and leather products industry in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, through the establishment of four Leather Products Centers (two in Uzbekistan and two in Kazakhstan) which will strengthen and enhance modernization, innovation and competitiveness of the Leather Sector in the two countries by offering quality testing, product certification, specialized training, fashion trends, modern design, production organization, and funding opportunities. The 4 centers will be created in the HEIs from the two countries participating in the project. Staff and students from these HEIs will be trained in the European HEIs participants. The project is in its second year and the paper reviews its progress in terms of market needs, macro and microstructure of the training activities, and the performed and planned promotion and sustainability activities.
Keywords: Capacity Building, Leather and Footwear, Expert Sectorial Centers.
Introduction
The Capacity Building in Higher Education projects, is an Erasmus+ action under the Key Action for Cooperation among Organizations and Institutions, and its objectives are among others to improve the quality of education in HEIs in Partner Countries, to enhance the level of corresponding competence skills of students, staff, and HEIs, to stimulate international collaboration of HEIs across different regions of the world (Commission, 2022). Every project must comply with and contribute to some of the overarching priorities of the European Commission, namely the Green Deal, the digital transformation and data technologies, to form alliances for sustainable growth and jobs, among others.
The REILEAP project addresses the Leather and Footwear Sector, which is a part of the Fashion Sector and it has a strong interest within Europe (The EU leather industry, 2014) but also in both target countries, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (Abaturov, 2021), (Leather International, 2002), (Griffiths, 2019). The leather and footwear sectors, together with the textile and clothing sector, are strongly based on traditional skills and means of work but are strongly affected by modern digital technologies that are rapidly changing the design and manufacturing processes and their support needs new business models (Azariadis, Papagiannis, & Koutkalaki, 2018). This change has started from the high technology sectors (automotive, electronics, aerospace) and it influences all industrial sectors. All sectors are characterized by more complicated products which show a continuously decreased life cycle, a characteristic which is predominant in the fashion sector, and makes the use of modern digital technologies a necessity nowadays. Design has started to be based on 3D technologies, which is already mainstream in many industries such as construction, automotive, aerospace and many other manufacturing sectors. When footwear and clothing products are concerned, the use of 3D models in various stages of product development and their effective integration in the development process has been reported in the literature and shows its advantages over the traditional one (Mihai, Costea, & Sarhie, 2014) (Papachristou & Bilalis, 2016), (Papachristou, E. & Bilalis, N. (2016).
The EU leather sector is producing some of the highest value calfskins, the tanneries in the European Union are typically family-owned, small and medium-sized enterprises and the EU tanners depend a lot on access to raw materials and to export markets. Regional concentration is strong, it often plays a key role in the local economy, being the predominant creator of wealth and employment. The footwear sector is more diverse and covers a wide variety of materials (textile, plastic, rubber, and leather) and different types of products. Sample statistical data about Annual turnover, Number of companies, Number of Employees, the distribution of production in EU and in various countries are shown in Figure 1 and 2 (TCLF 2030, 2022).
Figure 1. The European Leather Industry (European Leather Industry, 2022)
Figure 2. The European Footwear Industry (TCLF 2030, 2022)
The EU Leather and Footwear industry, as well as the Textile and Clothing, have built their global reputation on their ability to mix tradition with innovation in high added-value distinctive products. But both the "heritage and the capacity to innovate are currently at risk and hampered by skills-related challenges" (Professional training in the fashion industry under discussion in Europe, 2021). The Education, training, Research and Development is part of the Textile, Fashion, Leather and footwear sector and there are approximately 40 Textile Research and Technology Centers, carrying out applied and collaborative research, offering technology transfer, testing, certification and training services, 40 Textile departments at Technical Universities, graduating Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. Students, 80 Universities of Applied sciences and fashion colleges, graduating Bachelor and Master students, engaging in applied and collaborative research and training activities and 15 Textile innovation clusters, offering technology transfer, business development, promotion and training services, engaging in networking and open innovation activities (EURATEX, 2022). According to CEC, the workforce in Europe is ageing and companies could lose precious know-how and young talented and educated people are either deserting the sectors or it is difficult to attract new comers, because of long-lasting misconceptions and prejudices and this is also apparent in many third countries as they cannot attract them in their working environment, especially the Small and Medium sized Enterprizes. The introduction of modern digital technologies also necessitates the Sector workers' skills to be regularly updated. Most of the SMEs in the sector do not have the resources and time to allocate to workers' training.
Project Organisation and Implementation
Work in the project is performed in Six Overlapping stages, three for the Technical Work, namely the Preparation, Capacity Building and Training, Connecting HEIs with leather and footwear industries, and three supporting ones, the Quality Plan, Dissemination/ Exploitation and Project Management.
The preparation phase has performed a state-of-the-art analysis of the sector in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and the main findings are documented in the corresponding deliverables (REILEAP results, 2022). It includes the main characteristics of the Leather and Footwear Sector in both countries, a comparative study of their needs for both countries and a database of European Research, training and Innovation centers in Europe.
The leather and footwear industry is one of the promising areas of the economy of Uzbekistan and its development has been supported by the state and as a result, the industry is dynamically developing during 2017-2020 and even during the pandemic did not lose its acquired positions, continuing to build up its potential. The industry is becoming very attractive for doing business, as evidenced by an increase in investments by more than 4.0 times, as well as an increase in the industry's share in the total volume of investment funds utilization. The participating HEIs and their staff reported several meaningful research collaborations with the industry to increase business knowledge and create
innovative solutions. HEIs students were reported to be involved in the laboratory, practical classes, internships, pre-diploma practice and diploma projects. They reported a lack of information, financial, time and human resources, and limited technical and logistic capabilities regarding the result of the partnerships. Key skills required for the labour market include the deep processing of raw hides, fur, wool, and Astrakhan fur, creating a value chain, and producing competitive finished products with high added value, export-oriented, for domestic and foreign markets.
New courses and curricula have been developed in HEIs to train students, and employees and academic staff received training to design and deliver course content (Ilkhamova, Gafurov, Maksudova, & Vassiliadis, 2017). The REILEAP centre will become a link between education, science, and production in leather and leather processing and will help joint research and development activities. It will provide knowledge to support the use of new technologies in the leather and footwear industry, assist in compiling business plans and start-up projects, and test leather materials (tensile strength, elongation, water permeability). It will become a collaborative space for innovation, two-way knowledge transfer, design and development and competitive advantage through digital tools (3D modelling software, CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, e-commerce etc.). The objectives of the REILEAP are in general relevant to the country and in particular for the higher education system. Presidential Decree Nr. 4982 from 8 February 2021 on "About Additional Measures for the Further Development of The Leather, Shoe and Fur and Fur Industries" justifies the high relevance of the project and its results to the ongoing reforms and country needs. The Association of Leather, Footwear and Fur and Fur Enterprises of Uzbekistan "UZCHARMSANOAT", provide support in the implementation of the project.
The Kazakhstan leather and footwear analysis shows that the domestic market of Kazakhstan is provided by only 1-2% of the domestic production and, there is a shortage of raw materials in the industry since tanneries do not process rawhides.
Rawhides are exported to nearby countries, and shoe manufacturers import leather with high added value, and there are no fittings factories in the country. All shoe accessories also are imported. Despite this, the market for leather goods in Kazakhstan has potential for growth. With the growth of income and purchasing power of Kazakhstan, the demand for footwear will grow from year to year. In recent years, quite young promising Kazakhstan footwear brands have appeared, and many international footwear chains have also entered the market. Most of the University staff reported previous projects and collaboration between universities and industry through agreements at least from 2015. There was a consensus among the participants in the survey, regarding the acute need for qualified personnel in Kazakhstan because there are not enough specialists with appropriate and updated knowledge of the latest technologies of shoe design. Participants experienced a lack of information on financial resources, time in
human resources and limited technical and or logistic abilities. Everybody is interested in the project, including the staff, department graduates, students during pre-diploma practice, teachers, and people from various organisations and factories. The most important knowledge and skills that should be included in the training program are: Application of advanced technologies and tools for the design and modelling of leather products; Development of the latest concepts and products, taking into account the specific requirements of consumers and market and fashion trends; Ability to implement projects using new manufacturing technologies and business models, including technology transfer for sustainability and entrepreneurship; Compliance with regulations, certifications and standards for leather and footwear; Ability to adapt to challenging work situations such as: creative and critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, entrepreneurial thinking Staff and students from the four HEIs in both countries have shown a keen interest in participating in the project and this became apparent from their expression of interest in participating in the first three seminars that have been performed in Uzbekistan, Turkey and Romania.
This analysis has identified a series of training needs for the staff and students working in the leather sector in two countries. Training needs of Uzbekistan, Production stages of leather products; Quality controls of leather and leather goods; Sustainability, innovative solutions and trends; Implementation of updated new technologies for the leather and footwear sector; Design of the different leather products; Design of shoe products; Environmental management and processing of secondary resources of leather. Training needs of Kazakhstan, Design and development of leather and shoe products; Modern technologies for developing leather and footwear products; Product management and marketing; Physical and chemical tests on leather and the related materials; New fashion trends and modern designs; Implementation of systemic measures of economic policy on the production; Modernization of production facilities; Enriching the study/training programs with learning modules such as CAD, eco-design, circular economy, greener chemicals, advanced and flexible manufacturing, sustainability and new organisational methods.
Training has been organized in four modules:
Module 1. New Technologies and Business Models, including Reverse Engineering and Additive Manufacturing, technologies and Areas of Application; Sustainability the European approach for Labelling Products; Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Module 2: Innovation in Footwear Supply Chain, including Product customization; tools for design and marketing; Basic of Production Management and Process Control; Soft skills in manufacturing environment.
Module 3: Footwear 3D/2D CAD, including 3D/2D CAD - Basic constructions for women's footwear; 3D/2D CAD - Basic constructions for men's footwear; 3D/2D CAD - Basic constructions for children's footwear.
Module 4: Leather Production/Quality Control, including Raw Material, Defects, Conservation; Basic Leather Production and Practices; Leather Quality Control (Physical Tests).
Training on Modules 3 and 4 has already been performed and for the other two modules the training has been streamlined, despite the problems the project faced due to pandemic and also to other reasons beyond the reach of the consortium.
The emphasis of the final year of the project will be on the organization, operation and support of the four centres. These centers will be the focal points for the leather and leather products sector and relevant stakeholders. It is envisaged that they will offer a number of services that will be used by the sector companies in order to improve the quality and design of their products; improve the quality and cost effectiveness of manufacturing techniques and chemicals used; be informed about the new fashion trends and modern designs; develop new products; learn about requirements for exporting of their products; find funding opportunities; participate in projects. The achievement of these aims will foster the sustainability of the whole project.
Dissemination, Impact and Sustainability actions
They are all key activities that a CBHE project needs to address throughout its lifetime, from its conception and after the end of the project. Every project must demonstrate a clear and efficient plan to disseminate the results and establish the methods to implement the dissemination plan. The project must ensure a tangible impact on its target groups and relevant stakeholders at local, national or regional levels. Project results must be Open access and all materials, documents and media produced must be freely available and promoted through open licenses without any limitations. In addition, project results must exploit their sustainability and they must be sustained financially after the end of project funding and institutionally, which activities and services will continue to be in place and how the local ownership will be ensured (Commission, 2022).
All partners within REILEAP contribute to achieving the project Dissemination and Communication Plan goal of reaching the maximum number of stakeholders at the local, regional, national and international levels. To mainstream the project strategy, dissemination activities in target countries are planned in order to facilitate: awareness-raising on the importance of REILEAP centres and collaboration between companies and universities for economic development; participation of beneficiaries and end-users in the different phases of the project; promotion & dissemination of projects intermediary and final results and outcomes; take-up of project results; self-sustainability and exploitation after project end.
The target group of the dissemination activities are, the REILEAP project partners; Staff working within partner organisations; Students enrolled in partner universities; Leather and leather products related companies; Policymakers and
relevant stakeholders; International Finance Institutions providing funds for development.
The Communication channels include, Project meetings; e-mails; skype and Zoom meetings; Dissemination materials; Project website (www.reileap.com); Social media (https://m.facebook.com/people/Reinforcing-capacities-of-HEIs-in-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan/100068272353662/); Newsletters; Awareness campaigns in both Partner Countries and in All HEIs.
Awareness Campaigns are planned to take place and promote the four REILEAP centres services. The major events that will take place during the project's lifetime are:
Two Workshops "Leather Centres Development and Investment and Promotion for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan"
Two "Raising Awareness and Motivation" Info Days (within the Universities) one in Uzbekistan and one in Kazakhstan
A Final Conference in Uzbekistan
A collaboration platform also has been designed and is integrated into the project website. It is a private and virtual space favouring collaboration, where the leather and leather products centers and other stakeholders are able to communicate with each other, be informed about activities, developments and trends, events, projects, and funding opportunities. All teaching/ training material developed in the project will be available through the collaboration platform as open educational resources. This collaboration and educational website platform will continue its operation even after the end of the project and the centres will continue to use the training material developed in the project after the end of the project, in the context of regular training courses, supporting the exploitation and sustainability of the project.
The project website, the collaborative platform with all training material and the REILEAP Facebook site will be maintained for at least five years following the completion of the project activities in order to disseminate the project results and engage as many people as possible interested in the project results.
Internal Exploitation/Sustainability Plan has been initiated, and all partners are participating and contributing to it. This plan draws a specific strategy that will enhance the sustainability and transferability of project results during the final stage and most important after the completion of the project. Consortium partners will promote the project outcomes in different platforms such as, new partnerships for third sectorial actions that aim at identifying and applying new knowledge about the design, production, use of footwear and the process of disposal/recycling; New Erasmus+ partnerships have been planned and co-financing will be required from national/ governmental sources or from the EU.
Conclusions
A Capacity Building in Higher Education project is always an ambitious project. It needs to align practices, knowledge and priorities from diverse HEIs and non-academic partners from various countries and form new initiatives that address not only the educational needs of the HEIs but also to link these needs with society and business in order to reinforce its systemic impact. Through the proposed structured cooperation, exchange of experience and good practices and individual mobility, the aims of CBHE project go beyond the support of modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of HEIs in Partner Countries and also contribute to cooperation between the EU and the eligible Partner Countries; promotes voluntary convergence with EU developments in higher education; promotes people to people contacts, intercultural awareness and understanding.
The REILEAP has made an impact in the Leather and footwear industry in two Partner Countries, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, it will form 4 competence centres addressing the current needs of the sector, and it has trained 2 staff members and 4 students from each one of the 4 participating HEIs in both countries and it has promoted people to people contacts, scientific interests and exchange of good practices, through the continuous contacts it has created between the partners. It is believed that in the third year of its operation the impact of the project will be more substantial within the 4 HEIs staff and students and the centres will be a focal point for the local industry.
References
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ОПЫТ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ПРОЕКТОВ ДЛЯ ВЫСШЕГО
ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
UNDERSTANDING ACADEMIC FREEDOM: THE SWEDISH EXPERIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION Farhod Ahrorov, Iroda Baymuradova
Abstract. This article aims to research the academic process in Sweden compared with the educational system of Uzbekistan and apply advanced European experience. LNU in Sweden and SBTSUE in Uzbekistan have their educational system, which differs in some aspects. However, although the population is small, Sweden has prestigious universities that are ranked high worldwide. In Uzbekistan, higher educational institutions are also expanding the coverage level and improving the quality of education, introducing digital technologies and educational platforms, attracting young people to scientific activities, forming innovative structures, commercializing scientific research results, and achieving international recognition.
Keywords: Education system of Swedish and Uzbekistan, quality of education, European educational experience, innovative structures.
Introduction
Education is a tool for solving different issues affecting all types of societies. From softening social inequalities to providing access to health solutions, from supplying simple day-to-day tools to poverty abatement to the training of highly specialized staff in indigenous areas all over the world,
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