THE GLOVE SCHOOL

La Casa del Guanto
Students of the vocational education course for glove-makers in classrooms and workshops
Photos 1952-1958
Biblioteca SSIP Photographic Collection

In the first twenty years after its foundation, the Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Pelli di Napoli SSIP (Italian Leather Research Institute) was a very special institution, and it complemented the aspects that trade schools and industrial institutions lacked.
Educational activities were originally limited to a few Sunday lessons for a small group of leather dyers. It was not until 1902 and the reorganisation laws that the Stazione Sperimentale Pelli acquired official recognition among the industrial and technical schools in Naples, with the task of training glove technicians and conducting research on leather tanning and dyeing.
The felt need to establish a training school for young glovemakers in Naples dates back to 1919, as it was deemed necessary to cope with the shortage of skilled labour, which caused delays and a reduction in production quality during periods of increased production. After several appeals at the national level, the first vocational education course for glovemakers was organized in 1952 by a ministerial-appointed committee and hosted on the premises of the Stazione Sperimentale Pelli.
The 8-month course included theoretical and practical training at the Research Institute and an apprenticeship period in sector companies, thus ensuring comprehensive and targeted skills.