TEXCHANGE
TEXCHANGE
Strengthening Textile Skills and Preserving Know-How Across Borders
The textile industry has long been a key economic sector in Flanders, Wallonia and the Hauts-de-France region. Today, however, the sector faces significant challenges, including an ageing workforce, skills shortages, digital transformation, increasing sustainability requirements and the gradual disappearance of specialised textile training programmes.
To address these challenges, the TEXCHANGE project was launched under the Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen programme. Running from 2026 to 2028, the project aims to strengthen the sustainability and future competitiveness of the textile industry within the cross-border region by preserving essential know-how, improving access to training and fostering cooperation between training providers, research organisations, museums and industrial companies.
Expected Impact
Through TEXCHANGE, partners are investing in a long-term cooperation model designed to strengthen textile skills, training opportunities and industrial resilience throughout the cross-border region.
The project will contribute to:
Preserving valuable textile expertise and technical know-how;
Improving the alignment between training programmes and industry needs;
Facilitating access to textile knowledge and educational resources;
Strengthening collaboration between industry, training organisations and research centres;
Supporting the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the textile sector in Flanders, Wallonia and the Hauts-de-France region.
CETI’s Contribution
Within TEXCHANGE, CETI contributes by showcasing industrial expertise and helping make textile know-how more accessible to companies, students, trainers and innovation stakeholders.
To achieve this objective, CETI is developing both a physical and a digital materials library dedicated to textile materials, products and manufacturing know-how. This resource will help preserve industrial knowledge, support training activities and facilitate the dissemination of expertise across the cross-border textile community.
Funding
TEXCHANGE is supported by the Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen programme, which promotes cooperation between French and Belgian regions to address common economic, social and industrial challenges through joint initiatives.
“By connecting materials, products and associated manufacturing knowledge, the materials library will contribute to strengthening skills transmission and promoting the technological capabilities available within the regional textile ecosystem.”
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TEXCHANGE seeks to build a strong and sustainable textile skills ecosystem across the France–Wallonia–Flanders region through three complementary actions:
Identifying current and future skills needs within textile companies;
Preserving critical textile know-how that is at risk of disappearing;
Creating a sustainable cross-border network of training providers and industry stakeholders.
The project promotes the sharing of expertise, educational resources and training infrastructures while encouraging joint training initiatives and train-the-trainer programmes.
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TEXCHANGE brings together a cross-border network of organisations involved in textile education, research, heritage preservation and industrial development. By combining complementary expertise and infrastructures, the consortium aims to establish a sustainable framework for skills development and knowledge transfer that will continue beyond the project's duration.
Operating partners:
POM - Lead Partner of the project; https://www.pomwvl.be
Cobot https://www.cobot.be
Cefrethttps://www.cefret.be
Promotex - UITH Nord https://www.uith.fr
CETI (Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants)
CENTEXBEL https://www.centexbel.be
Hogeschool Gent https://www.hogent.be
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