Flemish textile sector brings together 30 students and companies on an inspiring coach tour
On Monday 28 September, Designregio Kortrijk, Fedustria and Cobot organised a bus tour visiting three leading Flemish textile companies. Around thirty students from technical and creative textile courses will be given a unique glimpse behind the scenes of a sector renowned worldwide for its innovation, quality and craftsmanship.
The participants are students from various textile-focused programmes: Textiles (TX) and Makers for Industry Textiles (MITA) at PTI Kortrijk, Textile Technology at HOGENT and Textile Design at KASK Ghent. Together, they represented the designers, technicians and specialists who can help shape the future of the Flemish textile industry.
Through this bus tour, Designregio Kortrijk, Fedustria and Cobot aimed to strengthen the link between education and industry. Flanders still boasts a strong and internationally recognised textile sector, but companies are increasingly finding it difficult to attract qualified staff. Technical roles, in particular, are in short supply. At the same time, the sector’s potential for creative designers often remains under-explored.
The organisers therefore aim to introduce students to the wide range of career opportunities within the textile industry and show them how innovation, technology, sustainability and design go hand in hand.
During the bus tour, the students visited three companies, each representing a different area of expertise within the sector:
- ESG (Spiere-Helkijn)
- Ragolle Rugs (Waregem)
- B&T Textilia (Lievegem)
As well as visiting companies, the students received guidance from industry experts and engage in discussions with entrepreneurs and professionals. In this way, they discovered what knowledge, technologies and skills are needed today in a rapidly evolving industry.
The organisers see this first edition as an important step towards a more structured collaboration between the education sector and the business community.
“With this bus tour, we want to show young people that the Flemish textile sector is much more than a traditional manufacturing industry. It is an innovative sector where technological expertise, entrepreneurship and creativity come together. By bringing students into direct contact with companies, we hope to inspire them whilst at the same time bridging the gap between education and the labour market.”
The aim is to make the bus tour an annual initiative, so that future generations of textile students can continue to discover the rich ecosystem of companies and organisations that Flanders has to offer.
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Lisa Declercq
Lisa is responsible for Designregio Kortrijk’s offline and online communications. She also coordinates the WONDER Festival alongside Stan. She is always on the lookout for the next big thing in young design talent and is therefore helping to build the organisation’s creative community.
