WOODCircle has officially begun!

This year, at the beginning of October all six partner members of the previous Erasmus+ Project WOODigital began an exciting new journey, the two-year-long WOODCircle Erasmus+ project (10/2022-10/2024):

• ATLANTIC TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY from Ireland;

• FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA DELLE INDUSTRIE DEL LEGNO DEL SUGHERO DEL MOBILEE DELL' ARREDAMENTO ASSOCIAZIONE and CONSORZIO DEL MOBILE SCPA from Italy;

• CENTRE DE DIFUSIO TECNOLOGICA DE LA FUSTA I DEL MOBLE DE CATALUNYA from Spain;

• MAGYAR BÚTOR ÉS FAIPARI SZÖVETSÉG from Hungary;

• INTERPROFESSIONNELLE AUVERGNE RHÔNE ALPES from France.

The project was initiated by a traditional kick-off meeting that took place online in Teams on the 20th of October 2022. The participants from Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, and Hungary discussed management and administrative issues, project deliverables and objectives, and the division of roles and responsibilities of all partners.

WOODCircle is the sister project of the Erasmus+ Project WOODigital, managed by the same consortium, strategically chosen to complete the training development of young students and workers at EU level with respect to the Twin Transition (green and digital) affecting the wood and furniture sector.

WOODCircle aims to cope with the twin transition of the industry, by focusing on the creation of a new profile for the Circular and Sustainable Woodworker, capable to solve both technical and environmental issues, thus supporting an ethical process based on producing and at the same time respecting the basic principles of sustainability (for example: waste reduction, recycling, and the use of environmentally friendly materials). With this in mind, this innovative professional profile sets out to empower and create professional opportunities for young EU woodworkers and workers interested in making their own career path in the woodworking and furniture (W&F) sector.

By the end of the project, a new joint curriculum will be designed. This qualitative online training course will be developed in 5 European languages and will be accessible as an open and free online course. The quality of the training course will be secured and strengthened by a pilot test implemented in five countries that follows a dual system methodology, involving a blended virtual and a physical mobility across different European countries.