Italian footwear manufacturers association Assocalzaturifici has presented awards to schools as part of a recruitment drive aimed at encouraging young people to join the industry.

At Verona’s JOB&Orienta exhibition, where the association has a stand, the awards were handed out to students this week; graduates of ITS footwear school in Veneto and Marche discussed their experiences and Assocal representatives promoted contribution the sector makes to the economy.

"Training and professional development are two crucial issues for us,” said Cleto Sagripanti, president of Assocalzaturifici.

"For years we have been striving to create a system that effectively integrates education, training and work. We firmly believe that the relaunch of the entire manufacturing process in Italy - and in particular with regard to the footwear sector - is promoted through training and the need to provide local training opportunities tied to the concrete needs of companies, in order to boost competitiveness and increase workers' skills.”