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ShoeGAME: first footwear industry game already being tested in schools

Jun 11, 2024 Portugal

To attract young talent to the industry, a European footwear collaboration has launched the first-ever industry game for students. This innovative approach is now being tested in schools

The footwear industry faces challenges in attracting the interest of younger generations, due to the lack of attractiveness of the sector and the gap between the education and training offered and the needs of the industry. This is where the Erasmus+ project SHOEGAME comes in. As part of a collaborative effort between partners* from Romania, Portugal, Greece and Spain, the digital ShoeGAME has been developed over two years to address these issues head-on, targeting students in regular and vocational secondary education.

With the support of the partners, ShoeGAME is already being tested in several schools in Portugal, Spain, Greece and Romania, enabling students to gain a broader understanding of the different aspects of footwear production in a more playful way - the game area, available online, covers all stages of footwear production, namely product design, manufacturing processes, new footwear technologies, sustainability and circularity, and marketing and merchandising. In the long run, the aim is to inspire them to consider a career in the industry.

From an educational point of view, this innovative approach also helps to develop key skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. To help teachers and trainers integrate the game into their practice, the project has developed specific support tools, which are also available on the game's website.

This launch represents a significant step forward in promoting education and awareness of the footwear industry among the younger generations. By offering an innovative and engaging educational approach, the project will not only help to attract talent to the sector but will also foster collaboration between different stakeholders and ensure the continued modernisation and competitiveness of the footwear industry in Europe.

* The project partners include the Romanian coordinator Gheorghe Asachi Technical University (TUIASI), Virtual Campus (Portugal), Creative Thinking Development (Greece), the European Footwear Confederation (CEC), the Footwear Technology Centre INESCOP (Spain) and the Portuguese Footwear Technology CTCP Centre (Portugal).