(This report is only available in Dutch.)
This report offers an initial exploration of the multifaceted and ever-evolving landscape of craft education in Flanders and Brussels. Based on conversations with craftspeople, education actors, policymakers, and other stakeholders, it presents a broad overview that highlights both the diversity and complexity of the field.
Rather than providing an exhaustive inventory of training programs, we have chosen representative examples and practice-based stories that make the richness, current shifts, and underlying dynamics tangible. The report discusses four main forms of craft education: individual learning pathways, workshops and introductory sessions, do-it-yourself (DIY) initiatives, and educational institutions. These are examined in relation to societal trends, policy developments, and changing patterns of appreciation. The final category—education and training within educational institutions—receives the primary focus throughout the paper.
Craft education in four categories ©Tim Dierickx, Crafting Futures
In addition to mapping structures and actors, attention is paid to the strengths and tensions that characterise the field. Crafts are placed within a broader societal framework in which themes such as sustainability, mental well-being, the labour market, and cultural identity play a role. In doing so, the report shows how craft education can be both a carrier of heritage and a catalyst for innovation.
The report also reveals that societal appreciation for crafts is far from self-evident. Although crafts can contribute to urgent issues such as sustainability and mental well-being, craft-based professions are still often undervalued, and vocational and practice-oriented training programmes continue to struggle with persistent stereotypes that fail to do justice to their depth and complexity.
Workshop spoon carving (Hausgemacht), Ambacht in Beeld 2024 ©Crafting Futures
Moreover, the training programmes themselves are increasingly under pressure. Practical subjects are disappearing from curricula, specialisation tracks are being discontinued, and many providers operate in a context of existential uncertainty, with limited resources and infrastructure. This situation threatens not only the preservation of valuable techniques and knowledge, but also the opportunities for new generations to develop within or learn a craft.
A synthesis of these findings is presented in the figure below, which brings together the strengths, challenges, and opportunities of the current educational landscape surrounding crafts. This visual representation serves as a starting point for further dialogue and deeper exploration in the continuation of the research project.
Strengths, challenges and opportunities from the report ©Tim Dierickx, Crafting Futures.
With this publication, our primary aim is to explore and inspire the field. It is an invitation to continued research, collaboration, and action—working towards a sustainable and future-proof craft sector. The full report can be downloaded below and is freely available for sharing throughout your network.
Download the report (in Dutch) here.