Every craft has a story to tell, but every story also needs someone willing to carry it forward.
Across Europe, thousands of artisans continue to preserve, adapt and reinvent traditional skills, while a new generation is discovering these professions through very different paths. Some learn in specialised schools, others through apprenticeships, family workshops, community associations, non-formal education or simply by following a personal passion. There is no single path into craftsmanship, but countless ways of keeping knowledge alive.
Whatever the setting, one thing remains the same: craftsmanship is learned by doing, observing and sharing. Behind every craft is someone who took the time to teach, encourage or inspire another person. Sometimes it is a master craftsperson, sometimes a family member, a mentor or a colleague. And often, the most valuable lessons are not only technical, but also about patience, curiosity and dedication.
This led us to ask a few simple questions:
What motivates a young person to choose a craft today? What advice would experienced craftspeople give to those just beginning? And how can we ensure that these skills continue to thrive in the future?
There is no single answer, but one thing is certain: safeguarding craftsmanship is not only about preserving techniques, it is about creating opportunities for the next generation to learn, experiment, innovate and make these professions their own.
As part of this newsletter, we invited experienced craft educators and young artisans from across Europe to share their experiences.
Read our latest article to discover the advice, reflections and stories they chose to pass on to the next generation.
Introduction to Mad'in Europe members
Craft knowledge is not only preserved in museums or archives, it lives in workshops, studios, training centres and community organisations where experienced makers continue to share their skills every day.
Across the Mad’in Europe network, many members are actively involved in teaching, mentoring and welcoming new generations of craftspeople. Whether through formal training, apprenticeships, workshops or community initiatives, they help ensure that traditional skills continue to evolve while remaining rooted in practice.
Whether dedicated to heritage crafts, design or artistic professions, the following schools and training centres offer practical learning experiences where traditional skills continue to be taught, practised and reinterpreted.
France
Artemisia Formation
Based in Paris, Artemisia Formation specialises in professional training in decorative painting and stage design. Through hands-on learning and guidance from experienced professionals, it prepares learners for careers in the creative and heritage sectors. Artemisia regularly offers specialised training in decorative painting techniques and scenography, combining workshop practice with professional expertis.
Guédelon
Located in Burgundy, Guédelon is a unique educational and experimental construction site where a 13th-century castle is being built using only medieval techniques, materials and tools. Through its Guédelon – Placement for Trainee programme, students in heritage building trades can gain hands-on experience alongside skilled craftspeople, developing practical skills in a real working environment.
La Table Ronde de l’Architecture
La Table Ronde de l’Architecture has recently established its new home in Westhoffen, Alsace, where it is developing an ambitious School of Architecture & Crafts. Through international summer schools, hands-on workshops and direct learning from master craftspeople, the initiative promotes non-formal education while demonstrating that traditional architecture and craftsmanship remain essential for building beautiful, sustainable and resilient places today. To help bring this unique project to life, the organisation has also launched a crowdfunding campaign. Discover the initiative and consider supporting it.
CERFAV
Located in Vannes-le-Châtel, CERFAV is a leading European centre dedicated to glassmaking. Combining professional training, research and innovation, it offers a wide range of workshops, specialised courses and vocational programmes covering artistic glass, stained glass, scientific glass and contemporary techniques. Explore the many training opportunities available through their profile on Mad’in Europe.
CFFO
The Centre de Formation de la Facture d’Orgue (CFFO) in Eschau, Alsace, is France’s only vocational school dedicated to organ building. Through apprenticeship-based training, it prepares the next generation of organ builders and organ pipe makers by combining technical expertise with hands-on workshop experience. On Mad’in Europe, CFFO offers its Vocational Training in Organ Pipe Making programme.
Spain
Located in Ávila, the Escuela de Carpintería de lo Blanco de Narros del Castillo is dedicated to preserving and teaching the historic craft of Spanish white carpentry, a traditional timber framing technique recognised with a Europa Nostra Award. Combining theory with hands-on practice, the school regularly organises specialised training and workshops in traditional carpentry, helping to preserve and pass on this unique heritage skill.
Belgium
Based in Brussels, the École Jeanne Toussaint is Belgium’s leading school for jewellery training, offering specialised adult education in jewellery and fine jewellery crafts. Combining technical excellence with hands-on workshop practice, it prepares future professionals through its Jewellery and Fine Jewellery Craft Professions programme, where students develop the precision, creativity and expertise required in contemporary jewellery making
Greece
Boulouki is a collective based in Athens dedicated to researching, preserving and transmitting traditional building techniques through hands-on training. Its workshops, apprenticeships and educational programmes combine practical learning with heritage conservation, giving participants the opportunity to work on real restoration sites while learning from experienced craftspeople.
Craftspersons doing trainings
Beyond schools and training centres, individual craftspeople also play a key role in transmitting knowledge. Through workshops, masterclasses and specialised courses, they pass on techniques, experience and a passion for their craft.
BlackWool
BlackWool was founded by textile designer Pauline Dornat to promote the local wool sector through craftsmanship, sustainability and knowledge sharing. Through workshops and hands-on activities, BlackWool invites participants to discover the entire journey of wool, from raw fleece to finished textile, while exploring traditional techniques in a contemporary context. Explore the workshops available through the Mad’in Europe profile.
Tokowo Reliure
Based in Braine-le-Comte, Tokowo is the artistic practice of bookbinder and paper designer Grégoire Vigneron. Combining traditional bookbinding with contemporary design and digital fabrication, he has developed innovative glue-free paper binding techniques such as Paperoko and Paperoŝlo. Through workshops and personalised training, he shares his expertise in contemporary bookbinding, paper design and creative paper construction.
Mastro Corradin
Living in Moncalieri, Mastro Corradin is a blacksmith specialising in traditional and artistic wrought iron forging. Drawing on five generations of family craftsmanship, he shares his expertise through short, hands-on training courses in the basic techniques of hot iron forging, giving participants the opportunity to discover the fundamentals of blacksmithing under the guidance of an experienced artisan.
Renato Olivastri – Restauro mobili e Intarsio
Based in Florence, Renato Olivastri is a master craftsman specialising in antique furniture restoration and wood inlay. With more than 30 years of teaching experience, he welcomes students and enthusiasts to his workshop to discover traditional restoration techniques through personalised, hands-on training. On Mad’in Europe, he offers the flexible programme Wood Inlay: Between Art and Restoration.
Títeres y Escenografías
Working in Guadarrama, Títeres y Escenografías is the creative practice of Juan Muñoz Rebollo and Inés Maroto, founders of the renowned puppet theatre company La Tartana. Combining decades of experience in puppet making, stage design and visual theatre, they contribute to the Specialist Degree in Performing Arts in the Discipline of Puppet and Object Theatre, a comprehensive training programme that prepares the next generation of puppeteers through hands-on learning and guidance from leading professionals in the field.
CREA Rehabilitación y Restauración S.L.
Based in Robledo de Chavela, Carlos Martín Jiménez, director of CREA Rehabilitación y Restauración S.L., is a master builder specialising in Catalan vaults, traditional plasterwork and heritage restoration. Combining research with hands-on practice, he shares his expertise through workshops and on-site training. On Mad’in Europe, he offers the flexible course Learn and Practice the Technique of the Catalan Vault, introducing participants to the construction and restoration of traditional vaulted structures.
Many of the skills that define craftsmanship cannot be learned from a textbook alone. They are acquired through observation, repetition, experimentation and direct contact with experienced makers. This is where non-formal education plays a unique role, creating learning opportunities that complement formal education while keeping traditional know-how alive.
On 3 July, the BRICKS final conference brought together participants at the Maison des Compagnons du Devoir in Brussels and online to explore the role of non-formal education in transmitting craft skills and preparing the craftspeople of tomorrow. Organised by Mad’in Europe (Belgium), together with ARTEX (Italy), the National Museum in Gdańsk (Poland) and the Georgian Arts and Culture Center (Georgia), the event combined European perspectives, Belgian stakeholder experiences and policy discussions on the future of craft education. The exchanges highlighted the importance of recognising non-formal learning, supporting artisan trainers and strengthening pathways into craft professions. If you missed the event, or would like to revisit the discussions, the full conference recording is now available online.
What these schools, workshops and artisans remind us is that craftsmanship cannot simply be kept behind glass: it survives by being transmitted, reinvented and made new again by each generation. Behind every skill learned lies an encounter, whether with a master, a mentor or a colleague, who took the time to share far more than a technique. Safeguarding craft heritage is not just about preserving know-how, it is about the conditions we collectively create to keep that transmission alive, at every level, between those who know and those who are ready to learn.
News from Mad'in Europe
Mad’in Europe is a partner in the European project CRAFTWISE, funded by Erasmus+, which aims to strengthen skills in the craft sector and encourage collaboration between craftspeople and young designers and design students.
Reskiling crafts: Follow the progress of the Reskilling Crafts project here
