PADUA— Safilo Group (SFL.IM, SFLG.MI) has announced the launch of its Product School offering three year apprenticeships to up to 10 young professionals every year, starting in 2015.
 
According to Safilo, they have established the Safilo Product School to “give young apprentices starting their professional lives the opportunity to build foundational mastery across all product functions, and then begin a Safilo career path to form the new generations of eyewear product directors.”
 
“The Product School reflects our commitment to eyewear product craftsmanship and innovation, and our commitment to its future,” said Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo Group. “With it, we combine our past product tradition with masterful innovation forward, that future generations will create when given the opportunity to learn. We aspire to give a sustainable contribution to the youth, our industry and region, reaching beyond our own company.”
 
Acceptance into the program is based on selection and is open to students coming from technical institutes or universities. The program will build upon international apprenticeship best practices combined with on-the-job learning and job rotation, and will include an international assignment in Safilo’s worldwide operations, coaching by experienced Safilo managers and experts and regular classroom training.
 
The focus of the program will be on product creation, i.e. from design to product development, from prototyping to manufacturing, materials, quality, pricing and product concept selling, the company said. Additionally, the program will also cover the development of managerial skills and behavioral competencies, inspired by the company’s way of doing business guided by their values and principles, Safilo added. The formal training will be administered in collaboration with national and international partners; including universities, technical and optical product certification institutes and Safilo’s customer and supplier network, supplemented by its own global management team.
 
The Safilo Product School will count on the support from its license partners, who will play an active role in qualifying the apprentices at the end of the program, said Safilo. One spot in the program has already been confirmed, sponsored by Dior.
 
“Dior stands for highest standards of product quality, with craftsmanship, research and innovation at the heart,” added Sidney Toledano, president and CEO of Christian Dior Couture. “Safilo’s Product School reflects our shared commitment in building such skills and values for future generations and we are delighted to support Safilo as our partner of choice.”