A new agreement for training in fashion has been signed in Italy The industry is finally ready to invest in the training of future professionals

Fashion, within the field of education, has not always received the attention it deserves in terms of investment and quality of teaching, but something is changing. The Fashion Education Pact, an initiative that could redefine fashion as a discipline to study and invest in by training better-prepared young people for the world of work, was signed yesterday during the inauguration of Micam and Mipel at the Fiera Milano pavilions.

But let’s take a closer look at what it is about.

The new education pact

The inauguration of MICAM, the international trade fair dedicated to footwear, and MIPEL, the fair focused on leather goods and accessories, was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the MIM, the Ministry of Education and Merit, and the two Confindustria federations representing the fashion sector: Confindustria Moda for the textile and apparel sectors and Confindustria Accessori Moda for the leather supply chain.

The protocol represents a concrete opportunity to strengthen the link between education and industry: «With this protocol, we connect entrepreneurial know-how with disciplinary knowledge. We are creating a strong bond between schools and companies so that the education of our young people increasingly reflects the needs of the labor market. There are also other key aspects, from teacher training supported by manufacturing companies to monitoring the results achieved», stated Giuseppe Valditara to Milano Finanza. The agreement marks a shift from a sector-based logic to a systemic vision in which schools, higher technical education, and the business world collaborate in a structured way to build skills, innovation, and employment opportunities along the technical-professional supply chain.

How education is changing

The 2021 Pact, signed by the Ministry of Education and Confindustria Moda, mainly aimed to strengthen the connection between technical and vocational schools and the companies within the supply chain to reduce the gap between education and employment. The agreement had a three-year duration and a primarily collaborative and project-based structure.

By contrast, the 2026 Pact signed by the Ministry of Education and Merit led by Giuseppe Valditara expands its scope in a more structural and strategic direction, introducing a systemic strengthening of the fashion education pipeline, with greater integration among ITS, companies, and local territories. If 2021 represented a school–business bridge, 2026 takes shape as a plan for the industrial consolidation of fashion education: «It is a concrete commitment to give young people real employment opportunities and to protect - while innovating - the manufacturing heritage that makes Made in Italy an excellence recognized worldwide», commented Luca Sburlati, president of Confindustria Moda.

Furthermore, the new pact focuses on several key themes in today’s fashion industry, such as artificial intelligence, digital technologies, cybersecurity, and data protection, with explicit reference to the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development goals. These are issues that aspiring professionals in the sector must clearly understand in order to move confidently and effectively within an industry undergoing rapid change. Added to this is an international outlook, with initiatives aimed at promoting training in non-EU countries for young people who will then have the opportunity to enter the Italian labor market.

The promise of a better future

«The present and future of fashion depend on the ability to train and guide young people toward professions that require increasingly integrated technical, digital, and artisanal knowledge», added Giovanna Ceolini, head of Confindustria Accessori Moda. In these terms, the pact represents a concrete opportunity - it guarantees nothing, to be clear - but it certainly sets in motion mechanisms capable of facilitating young people’s entry into the world of work and the fashion industry.

This change could actively help reduce the "trauma" linked to entering the workforce for young and inexperienced individuals, who are often not provided with adequate tools to navigate a dynamic and demanding industry like fashion. It represents a meaningful promise of change: finally recognizing fashion - including in the field of education - with the importance and attention it deserves.