Behind a jewel there is an ancient profession, which requires desire, enthusiasm and perseverance. Also patience, because you have to dedicate many hours until the jewel is perfect. Jewelry is a cultural asset and must be protected and valued. It does so by training, through excellence, the next generations of jewelers, in order to enhance their savoir-faire.
“It is a very encouraging experience to teach. It is very exciting when you transfer the knowledge that you have acquired over the years. Furthermore, when you see that the students have understood what has been explained to them and put it into practice, it is very nice. We must not forget that I also learn from them,” says Albert Alberola, jeweler and tutor at the TOUS School of Jewelry and Artisan Trades (ETJOA).
The TOUS School of Jewelry and Artisan Crafts, which was launched in 2018, allows young students who come from the best training centers and jewelry schools in the world to learn the ancient craft, offering them internships at the company’s headquarters and, when It is required, in external workshops, with the possibility of learning about jewelry restoration using pieces from the century-old company and from expert jewelers.
“ETJOA is a project that excites us very much because it connects with fundamental axes of our firm, such as the integration of innovation and craftsmanship and the commitment to sustainability through restoration, an aspect that is part of the core of our company” says Rosa Tous, Corporate Vice President of TOUS.
This year, in its third edition, there are a total of 188 students. Among them are those from the JORGC Jewelry School, in Barcelona. Its managers are aware of the value of this collaboration with TOUS, “one of the most cutting-edge companies in the entire industry, which allows students who are finishing their jewelry training plan to discover what will be required of them in their profession. The TOUS initiative is a paradigm and emblem of the involvement that leading jewelry companies have to have for the training improvement of the next promotions of jewelers,” praises Nuria Serret, Director of the center.
In this framework of collaboration, the school is the one that provides students with specific knowledge of the jeweler’s trade. “Our JORGC Jewelry School has a strong workshop component, which translates into a very demanding training plan, since its objective is for your work as students to be as close as possible to the day-to-day reality of a jeweler. In this way, when they do their internships in the TOUS workshops, they have to demonstrate what they know and absorb everything they did not know. Therefore, it is a great complement. Students leave their comfort zone and, in some way, they have to know how to alert themselves to respond to the demands of a real job position,” says Nuria Serret.
“The TOUS School of Jewelry and Artisan Crafts contributes a large part of its knowledge of the craft, betting on the coexistence between craftsmanship and technology, as part of the innovative spirit of the house. Furthermore, together with the ten schools in the program, we transfer to the students the passion for the trade and provide them with additional knowledge, such as jewelry restoration. At TOUS they learn to give added value to jewelry so that it can have a second life, passing from generation to generation,” explains the jeweler and ETJOA tutor.
Mentors with a long history in the company provide young apprentices with the opportunity to learn the values ??of TOUS, which has become a benchmark in giving a second life to jewelry with a team of restoring artisans.
The firm understands jewelry as long-lasting and sustainable pieces that can have many lives, thus giving them the opportunity to be passed from generation to generation.
“Being part of an initiative like this has been a great opportunity to see the craft up close. I find that it is a very complete training both in practice and in theory, taught with a lot of passion and closeness. An experience that provides that part of reality that we do not know when we finish school. And being able to learn it from a company like TOUS is fortunate,” celebrates Mariana Bilbao, a student at the TOUS School of Jewelry and Artisan Crafts.
TOUS also wants to go beyond the training framework, influencing the career prospects of its participants and there are already a few who have obtained employment directly in its workshops or, indirectly, in external workshops that work with the brand or in others that They need specialists in jewelry restoration.
Although being a jeweler is a profession with thousands of years of history, there is always something new to learn. For this reason, in what is now the third edition of ETJOA, TOUS has launched the figure of the TOUS Artisan Experts, a network of experts and references in their respective specialties who combine the values ??of the century-old brand and who, guided by their passion and experience, will serve as inspiration and guide for the school’s students, through special actions such as webinars or masterclasses. One more complement to an initiative that is committed to excellence in the training of a traditional profession, adapting to the evolution of the sector.
“Personally, I feel grateful for this learning, where I have acquired security and opened my job possibilities. Seeing and meeting in person part of the team that works behind this great company and their commitment to future jewelers is very motivating. The fact of sharing the tutorials with students from other schools is fun and enriching, in addition to the talks with different professionals, the campus, and the availability and kindness of the tutors, which make this training a true opportunity for growth for the students and They provide our future with a broad perspective on the sector,” confirms student Mariana Bilbao.
She is one of the protagonists of a pioneering project with which the legendary jewelry brand promotes crafts as an alternative vocational training for young people.
The TOUS School of Jewelry and Crafts carried out its last edition in a fully digitalized format due to the pandemic situation. For this next course, it is planned to apply the hybrid format, combining theoretical sessions with practical training at the same time, as long as the health situation allows it. In this way, TOUS continues to reinforce its commitment to the future of the jewelry sector.
