Aiming to create new and innovative solutions to the long-term unemployment situation of people in an economically active age and bearing in mind that sewing is an area with more and more professional opportunities and with a tendency to expand in parallel to the spread of online shopping and pret-a-porter stores, AMI, in partnership with Rosa & Teixeira, created Costura Ponto Com project. Combining personal and social skills with the development of technical and professional knowledge, together, we intend to reintegrate the beneficiaries in a social and professional life, providing tools for employability, self-employment and differentiated economic means.

The proximity of the project’s goals to the reality of Rosa & Teixeira lead to the idea of also preserving traditional crafts like some very specific sewing skills and techniques. To this end, Rosa & Teixeira’s former seamstresses also contribute with their knowledge and mastery through weekly support to the trainees, enriching the project with a knowledge transmission line acquired during decades of experience.

Thus, the 3 months pilot project which happened by the end of 2018, gave the opportunity for 6 trainees to have access to an intensive course of initiation to sewing, which entitled them to a certified diploma, as well as a series of visits to potential employers with different approaches to sewing and a series of socio-cultural training sessions.

In 2019 we intend to give opportunity to other unemployed people willing to work in the area of sewing, providing an experience and a similar course to what happened in 2018.

For each sewing project “Costura Ponto Com” with 6 trainees including training sessions, follow-up during and after integration into the work life thus leading the trainees to full self-sustainability, it is necessary a total amount of €14.000.