That training represents one of the pillars of development of Tollegno 1900 is also confirmed by the training sessions structured by Tollegno 1900 with the contribution of Stefania Spezzani of Punto Maglia for both individual collaborators and groups. “Knitter” or “knitter”, as she defines herself, Stefania has led two separate courses that are the result of her long-term experience. “My profession as a knitter,” she says, “has allowed me to acquire great experience, having worked in contact with many different production realities. It is precisely this expertise that led me to become a trainer, first in centers accredited by the Emilia Romagna Region, then, in the private sector, in companies or for stylists who wanted to refine their knowledge and technical skills in the world of knitwear.
What does the activity of your laboratory consist of in concrete terms?
My work consists of supporting textile companies, both local and outside my region, in all aspects related to the development of the sample collection. Specifically, I deal not only with making yarn tests, stripes for color cards and stitches for the design phase, but also with developing prototypes cast and cut using stylistic indications that are provided to me on the basis of technical sheets. Sheets that allow me to be able to create the garments requested by the clients on the “Coppo” manual rectilinear machines. In short: I deal with everything that falls within the preliminary phase of production, from the idea provided by the client to the prototype created.
Stefania, how did the collaboration with Tollegno 1900 come about?
I have to thank the technician who takes care of the maintenance of the “Coppo” brand machines present inside the TLab. He informed me that the company was looking for a teacher to improve the technical skills of its operators working on the rectilinear machines. The first direct contact with Nicoletta Meriglio, manager of these operators, resulted in a first online course for 4 users. Subsequently, I was asked for a refresher course for one of the participants in the first course, directly at my headquarters in Carpi. From that moment on, the collaboration continued and this year I held a training session in person directly in the Tlab for two groups of participants.
Can you tell us how the different training sessions were carried out and for what purposes?
The first online teaching was aimed at giving participants all the basic technical knowledge essential to understand the work tool: the knitting machine and above all all its potential. It was a basic, starting training, with the help of paper teaching aids that could be consulted independently even after the end of the scheduled hours. The training aimed at a single collaborator, in my office in Carpi, instead focused on refining her skills, so as to make her completely autonomous in the creation of fancy knit stitches. This further step involved both the provision of other teaching material with new, more detailed technical instructions, and the development of new exercises to do together on the machine.
How was the training intended for the group developed?
The group training was structured starting from an initial distinction between more experienced and less experienced participants, so as to be able to best respond to the needs of each team, enhancing their strengths and working on their weaknesses. With the more experienced, specifically, a book of points of complex, but at the same time basic, knitted structures was created, to be used individually or in combination with other structures. The aim of this training session was to offer the two “students” the ability to respond to the ever-increasing request to present yarns with a new concept that meets the needs of customers. Customers who express the desire to see the performance of the yarn even on structures other than plain or plain knit.
In the second group, however, how did you intervene?
In the case of the less experienced, the aim was to illustrate the machine in detail in all its mechanical parts, dispelling in them all those gaps and lack of knowledge that almost led them to be afraid of it. They too were provided with teaching materials that were functional in introducing them to the first steps that are essential for starting up the machine and managing the various problems that could arise when using one yarn over another. In short: learning to master the machine and not vice versa. The desire to experiment that I also respected in these students was very gratifying for everyone.
How important is training in this sector, in your opinion?
Training is also essential in the knitwear sector, because companies increasingly need professionals who know how to combine speed and flexibility, skills and specialist knowledge. To survive in a context like fashion, which is by definition fickle and changeable, many “jobs” have in fact had to undergo a radical transformation to respond to the change in mentality of the sector: today you have to be able to perform original and innovative stitches and processes, always keep up to date and store as many skills as possible in order to always be able to offer that “something more” that makes the difference on the market.
What do companies need today, based on your experience?
Companies increasingly need targeted training, where theory must be increasingly combined with practice. Training that is not only academic, but also technical. This latter need is the result of a new way of working: if, in the past, companies trained new resources internally by placing them alongside more experienced figures, thus giving them the opportunity to learn a profession while they worked, today the situation has changed profoundly. In fact, due to increasingly limited profit margins, professional figures are replaced only when a “vacancy” occurs or shortly before. This limited time for professional integration requires companies to have staff with technical and practical knowledge that can be used within the business immediately. It is no coincidence that, more and more often, experienced professionals are asked to hold courses aimed at the specific training of certain tasks.
