Vita Kobiela, CotanceKobiela’s presentation is titled: From Tanneries to Virtual Reality: Reimagining Leather Education with METASKILLS4TCLF. It will focus how virtual reality can be used to inspire and train the next generation of leather technologists.
The leather industry is at a turning point, not only industrially, but also with sectorial education. Skills shortages, declining student interest and training are not yet adapted to the AI era and are putting pressure on the sector’s future.
The EU co-funded project responds to these challenges with a new generation of free, online and highly innovative micro-courses, including four that have been developed exclusively for the leather sector. Covering digitalisation, traceability, waste reduction and sustainable production, the courses combine expert academic knowledge with 360° learning, augmented reality and immersive VR, filmed inside real European tanneries, research centres and leather clusters.
During the presentation, Kobiela will reveal how the leather industry can benefit from these tools, what to expect next and how companies and educators can expand and upgrade their training offer. Hosted on the upcoming European Virtual Fashion Campus and available in 2027, this is leather education reimagined.
Vita Kobiela has been Project and Communications Manager at the Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community (Cotance) since 2023. She holds an MA in political science and EU governance, gained across three global institutions including Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland), Sciences Po (Paris, France) and the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium).
Register to attend now
International Leather Maker (ILM) and APLF Ltd will host the half-day conference on March 11, 2026 (12.15-5pm) (the day before the start of the APLF). It will feature six 25-minute oral presentations as well as the panel discussion focussing on the future trends and direction of the global leather supply chain. The conference will once again take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), which is the same venue as the show. The APLF show takes place March 12-14, 2026. More information about the provisional conference programme speakers, topics and timings can be found here.
Click here to register. The ‘Leather Supply Chain 2026 – The Great Leather Reset’ conference is co-organised by ILM and APLF Ltd. The lead sponsors are Mindhive Global and Bureau Veritas. The coffee break is sponsored by National Beef Packing Co. ILM and APLF will post more information about the conference programme in the coming weeks as more speakers and topics are confirmed.
