New skills in the European furniture industry by 2020 Magdalena Herbeć, M.Sc. Wood Technology Institute, Poznań m_herbec@itd.poznan.pl Funes, Brussels, 27th January 2016

methodology The aim Identifying new competences and skills of staff for the European furniture industry Work procedure Identification of major gaps in competences acc. to SWOT of European furniture industry Selection and prioritization of identified competences in acc. with departments of the furniture company (incl. •management, •technical office and design, •production, •marketing and sales, •storage and packaging, •quality and environment)

methodology Skills - the ability to apply konowledge and use know-how to complete the task and solve problems Competences – the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development Source: Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning

methodology Research methods Desk research Analogy method Expert method Brainstorming

Mechanism of matrix creation Departments of the furniture companies Skills (acc. to SWOT and new trends in the European furniture industry) X

Matrix of new skills Cooperation and networking with wood value chain Ability of adjusting to the tailor-made production (flexibility to answer the client demands) Domotic and high technology knowledge Branding/Marketing of European tradition  Selling European quality Environmental awareness; applying the environmental and sustainability concepts (incl. ecological concepts in the design of products and eco- and zero waste design)

To sum up The intellectual resources are one of the factors of the industry’s success Furniture industry creates a demand for specific skills and competences of employees Employees should have the skills and ability to recognize and accept the upcoming changes The role of multidisciplinary skills and abilities increases significantly (skills needed to research the needs, furniture designing, prototype, production implementation and verification on the market) Significant skills and competences are particularly relevant for proficiency in learning and self –improvement, problem solving, analytical thinking, communication, etc.

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