CirCLER. Circular Economy Transition Manager: guiding companies of the furniture value chain to deploy their transition strategy for a more circular economy is a three-year project co-financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program, developed by 16 partners from eight European countries in collaboration with EFIC, the European Furniture Industries Confederation.

Its aim is to delineate the professional figure of the Circular Economy Transition Manager (CETM), providing the necessary training to facilitate and guide the transition of the furniture industry towards a circular and sustainable economic paradigm, in line with the priorities of the European Commission.

The project involves 23 organisations in the sector as partners or associated bodies with complementary experience and capabilities.

CirCLER will develop new joint curricula for the CETM at various qualification levels and an innovative training kit. This kit will include multimedia and interactive materials, enabling providers of vocational education and training and higher education institutions to train professionals capable of leading the circular transition in the furniture sector.
The training tools will be available in seven EU languages and will enable students and workers to define customised training paths adapted to their specific needs.

A pilot course will be implemented with the participation of 400 students, validated by the stakeholders and recognised inside and outside the consortium through the signature of a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding).

Moreover, CirCLER aims to engage institutional and entrepreneurial stakeholders, along with representatives from schools and training centers in the sector, in an ongoing dialogue to address market challenges through a new approach to the circular economy along the entire value chain and to fill sector skill gaps.

The strategic objectives of the project include the development of new skills, the promotion of corporate social responsibility, the encouragement of entrepreneurial initiatives, and the enhancement of skill quality.