Mexico. Stahl and the University of Northampton launched a leather finishing programme designed for the automotive industry. The one-year course, which began on October 23 in Mexico, will focus on improving the experience and knowledge of surface coatings and their application in automotive leather finishing.
By providing the right knowledge to younger students and current professionals, Stahl believes it can speed up the process of making the entire leather processing chain more sustainable.
"We consider it our responsibility to share our knowledge with others, as we can only achieve a more sustainable and transparent leather supply chain by working together," says Frans van den Heuvel, Global Manager Stahl Campus. "This cooperation with the University of Northampton is a good example of this. By combining our expertise with one of the most important centers for leather education in the world, we set a very high bar for contemporary leather education."
The automotive-focused leather finishing Post Graduate (PG) program is created for applicants with a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a subject related to science or leather. The program consists of the following modules:
■ Market demands and performance of automotive leather
■ Final formulation - automotive leather
■ Finishing application - automotive leather
The courses will take the form of three 2-week training modules (October '17, February '18 and June '18) and will be held at the Center of Excellence in Léon, Mexico. Several internal and external speakers will also contribute focused seminars as part of the course. Students and professionals who successfully complete the training will receive a PG Certificate from the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at the University of Northampton.
