Credit: Cam.Pel.
For a long time, the message prevailed in Italy that professional success necessarily came from university studies and intellectual occupations, relegating manual professions to second-best choices, considered less prestigious. The number of artisans is in fact constantly decreasing: in the last ten years the number of under 30s active in the sector has almost halved, with approximately 230 thousand fewer young people. How can this trend be reversed? How can artisanal leather professions be made attractive to new generations, thus encouraging a turnover? We talked about it with Vincenzo Testa of Cam.Pel., a company in Naples specialized in the production of small leather goods for luxury that in recent years has made training its bulwark, organizing projects to introduce the profession to high school students.
"Embarking on a career as a craftsman is still a rather unknown possibility, and sometimes you don't even have an idea that you can build a future in this sector. But among young people, it is often the passion for bags and accessories from big brands that sparks curiosity", says Testa.
According to research by Confartigianato and Censis, over 4 million people under 35 say they are interested in pursuing an artisan profession. Training projects like those of Cam.Pel. aim to intercept these potential talents, creating social value and concrete prospects in the Campania region.
Graduates from various technical institutes had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of leather goods through the company's various departments: from the cutting area, where they were able to observe up close how the machines are operated, to the benches where the craftsmen hammer, assemble, sew and finish. They were thus able to follow each phase of the process, experiencing first-hand the care and precision required to create a luxury leather item.
It is still early to see the fruits of this journey. "But the interest was visibly high," says Testa, "and training young people remains a central mission for our company. Even if they don't come back to us in the end, we will have given them the opportunity to choose." The idea is that direct, concrete knowledge can open new horizons and raise awareness of a profession that is too often forgotten, but still full of opportunities today. In our country, associations estimate the need for 15-20 thousand new workers in the next five years for the leather goods sector. "We need to reverse the narrative, tell people that a technical and manual career in leather goods is of absolute value and can give a young person a respectable, highly satisfying and profitable career," said Claudia Sequi, president of Assopellettieri.
While on the one hand the cultural perception is changing, with craftsmanship once again being considered cool thanks to communication on social media, on the other hand the idea remains strong that it is a world tied to tradition, to be preserved rather than lived. For this reason, we need concrete tools, accessible and engaging training experiences. Bringing the youngest directly into the places of production, as happens in companies that invest in the transmission of knowledge, is one of the most effective ways to restore contemporaneity to the profession. And perhaps, right from here, a new season for Italian craftsmanship can be born.
