The TOUS Jewelry Trade and Artisans School, the jewelry firm’s pioneering training project of excellence that promotes craft as a vocational training subject area for young people, is to continue this October with a new student body eager to learn jewelry restoration techniques. A total of 188 students have taken the third edition of the course to date in 2021.

Mentors with long-standing experience in the company provide the young apprentices with the opportunity to learn about the values of TOUS, which has become a benchmark in giving jewelry a second life with a team of expert restorers able to upgrade pieces of jewelry so that they continue to form part of the life of its customers.

New training school in Valencia

In order to extend the outreach of the initiative, in this third edition ETJOA has added a new school based in Valencia, the Escola d’Art i Superior de Disseny (EASD Valencia) . ETJOA’s ultimate aim is to grow even more so that it reaches the 45 countries in which the firm operates.

The school in Valencia is taking part in the project for the first time that not only seeks to make an impact on the students’ theoretical knowledge, but also to strengthen their ties with the job market so they are able to do internships in renowned professional environments, which will widen their opportunities to be subsequently hired.

“ETJOA is an example of our firm commitment to the jewelry sector and craft. This project is particularly important to us as we are able to teach future generations the value of restoration and giving a second life to jewelry, in addition to making them aware that jewelry is a trade in which sustainability is at the heart of everything, because we believe that pieces are made to last and we strive to attain this based on restoration techniques”, added Rosa Tous, TOUS’ Corporate Vice-Chairwoman.

 

Ongoing commitment to quality training

Furthermore, in order to go on inspiring and delivering added value to the students at ETJOA, for this third edition TOUS has launched what it calls TOUS Artisan Experts, a network of leading experts in their fields of specialization who are true to TOUS’ values and, guided by their passion, experience and savoir-faire, will serve to inspire and give guidance to the School’s students, through special actions such as webinars.

“Although a trade with thousands of years of history, there is always something new to learn. In my case, I realized that I still have a long way to go, but what TOUS offers us through the ETJOA has been a key experience for me and extremely gratifying”, is how one of the participants summed up the experience at the School.

ETJOA continues to adapt to current educational needs and is running this third edition in totally digital format, by combining online teaching with remote practical work, through capsules, videos and webinars.

Candidates are chosen in accordance with academic excellence and performance and, when they complete the course, tutors and students prepare an evaluation to ensure the training remains at a high standard.

ETJOA currently works with 10 schools: Escuela de Joyería JORGC (Barcelona), Escuela de Arte Manolo Blahnik (La Palma), IES Barajas (Madrid), Escuela de Arte Arsenal (Vilafranca del Penedès), Escuela Técnica de Joyería del Atlántico (Vigo), Escuela de Joyería de Córdoba, Prezzi Escuela de Joyería (Mexico), Escuela de Artesanías INBA (Mexico) and Escuela Cindor (Portugal).