Art and Furniture Strategic Partnership Erasmus Project

Project Title

Art and Furniture Strategic Partnership

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The European furniture sector is a key driver of sustainable growth with a significant contribution to Europe’s overall economic health, competitiveness, creativity, innovation, employment and export. Producing good quality furniture products requires on the one hand excellent technical knowledge and competences and on the other hand artistic and aesthetic aptitudes. The consortium has identified that designers and artists need to improve their knowledge of the technical aspects that relate to furniture manufacturing processes, while manufacturers need to understand the importance of aesthetical aspects.

The aim of the ARTURE Project was to create a strategic partnership between VET and HEI in the field of art on the one hand and the organisations that support furniture industries on the other hand. The partnership sought to facilitate the exchange, flow and co-creation of knowledge to address the vocational skills mismatches and shortage of skilled workforce.
To attain this, the project had the following objectives:
-Development of an Enquiry Framework employed to consult stakeholders on the industry’s needs.
-Analysis of the survey to identify competences and training needs.
-Development of e-Learning materials, available through an e-Learning platform to be used for the Vocational Education and Training of personnel in the furniture sector.
-Development of a Networking Portal containing a database for connecting VET and HEI providers of product design and fine and applied arts and the Furniture Industry.
-Assess the quality of the learning materials developed and the impact on student learning.
-Development of a Joint Curriculum at Level 3 between providers of Arts and Furniture manufacturing sectors.

The consortium was led by Buckinghamshire New University.The latest Research Excellence Framework (2014) concluded that 56% of its outputs are World Class or Internationally Excellent. AKTO from Greece is a member of CUMULUS, which is the only global association that comprises recognised universities serving Art and Design education and research. CETEM from Spain is a research centre and training institution expert in furniture design, regulation and standardization. CETEM is one of the best-known providers of e-Learning courses through its own web platform, e-learnia. Searchlighter Services from the UK works in collaborative contexts, with a track record in research concerning good practice in employment and training. “Universal Certification Solutions – Unicert” from Greece is a modern Personnel Certification Body, licensed to certify individuals in Informatics and PC Usage, by the Greek Ministry of Education.

Firstly, an Enquiry Framework was developed involving a wide range of stakeholders in order to identify the relevant questions that should be posed to actors in the areas of art, design and furniture manufacturing. Secondly, based on the Enquiry Framework, a large-scale survey was conducted and conclusions presented in a Report. Thirdly, based on the conclusions of the survey, learning materials were produced for 15 modules to support the training of designers and manufacturers. These were made available through an E-platform. Fourthly, a Networking Platform containing 252 organisations (VET/HE Centres and business associations) was developed to facilitate the communication and exchange of experience between providers of education and trainers and the furniture industry. Then, users tested the E-platform and conclusions of piloting were used to enhance the content and the mode of delivery of the learning materials.
The Survey involved 367 respondents from three countries. The Learning Materials are structured in 15 modules for specific learning outcomes, containing PowerPoint presentations, manuals and video-materials that could be used by learners in VET. The Networking Platform contains 252 organisations that have expressed interest in using the platform for training. The Curriculum developed for the Aesthetic Furniture Designers and for students of fine arts and artists contains a Guide for Trainers that has been used by the lecturers who developed the piloting of the modules. This will have a significant impact on 320 students from the UK, Greece and Spain who will be using it from September 2018.
-Longer-term benefits
Teaching and learning ‘Furniture Design and Manufacturing’ in the three organisations from the UK, Greece and Spain that have been involved in developing the project will be now based on the brand new modules created in ARTURE. Through the Networking Platform, it is estimated that about 300 users per year will be using some of the learning materials available through the Project webpage and E-portal.
As a result, many more furniture designers will have enhanced competence in designing products that are aesthetically pleasing, and at the same time, are easier to manufacture and produce from sustainable materials using advanced manufacturing processes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 361636 Eur

Project Coordinator

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE NEW UNIVERSITY & Country: UK

Project Partners

• O NOYLAS-D DERPANIS IKE
• Searchlighter Services Ltd
• ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL DE INVESTIGACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DEL MUEBLEY LA MADERA DE LA REGION DE MURCIA
• AKTO S.A.