High-school students in Millau in southern France will soon be able to study glove-making as part of their education. By Leatherbiz.

Millau has a rich heritage in small-skin tanning and glove manufacturing, which members of the industry recently presented for consideration for inclusion in the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), under the leadership of Olivier Fabre. Mr Fabre is a master glove-maker and fourth-generation managing director of high-end glove brand Maison Fabre.

It is still not clear when Millau’s leather and glove sector will know the outcome of its UNESCO bid, but it is making progress in an important part of the campaign, education programmes.

Immediately after Easter, Olivier Fabre met educational professionals at one of Millau’s secondary schools, the Groupe Scolaire Jeanne d’Arc. This group includes a ‘lycée professionnel’, a high school devoted to pupils who want to pursue an education in technical subjects, leading to qualifications such as the Certificate d’Aptitude Professionelle (CAP) or the Baccalauréat Professionnel (Bac Pro).

He said the meeting was constructive and expressed confidence that teenagers in Millau would soon be able to include glove-making as one of their CAP or Bac Pro options.

“This gives us hope for the future of our local area,” Mr Fabre said after meeting. “We will build together a promising future for our young people and, at the same time, safeguard our artisan heritage.”