Participation of I.S.A.E.K. Volos Municipality in the PLE European Jewelry Schools Conference in Italy – International collaboration with the BVLGARI jewelry house.
I.S.A.E.K. of Volos Municipality successfully participated in the European Silversmithing Schools Conference in Valenza, Italy from May 5 to 10, 2025. The institute was represented by Georgia Bontou-Tokali, Deputy Mayor of Education and Training, Leta Argyrakou, head of the Jewelry Department, as well by four students of the institute. The conference was organized by two Italian schools, FOR.AL and Benvenuto Cellini in Valenza, a small Italian city near Milan, which hosts small enterprises that are creating jewelry for the largest jewelry houses in the world.
The team of I.S.A.E.K. Volos Municipality presented their activities in the field of applied arts and especially jewelry, with an emphasis on the new strategy of developing highly aesthetic specialties and skills that meet the modern demands of the market. The students participated with their jewelry, in the traveling pan-European jewelry exhibition of PLE – Parlement Lycéen Européen (organization of European jewelry schools), in a jewelry design and creating competition for the 30th anniversary of the PLE, in workshops held at both schools, in various silversmithing techniques they also visited jewelry museums and cultural sites. Their experience culminated in a four-hour visit and tour at the state-of-the-art new laboratory of the international jewelry house BVLGARI. The conference, dedicated to connecting education with the creative industries, was a meeting point for educational institutions, art and fashion professionals, as well as cultural development agencies from all across Europe.
In October 2024 representatives of the well-known jewelry house BVLGARI visited I.S.A.E.K of Volos Municipality after having already examined portfolios of student’s work, The aim was to provide scholarships in Italy to students and graduates after interviewing them. Our first scholarship group began their further education in Valenza the same week, on May 5. The successful candidates, after completing their education, will be given a new six-month scholarship, with remuneration, at the BVLGARI Academy facilities, with the aim - after the successful completion of the program - of offering jobs in their production unit, where their career can continue according to their abilities and ambitions for development. This initiative is the beginning of a stable collaboration, which strengthens the international networking and professional prospects of young creators of Volos.
This participation opens new horizons for I.S.A.E.K and the Municipality of Volos, strengthening the international presence of the city in the field of applied arts and promoting the interconnection of local education with the global scene of innovation and creation.
I.S.A.E.K of Volos Municipality R.Feraiou 1-Chironos. Tel: 2421350373-2421056446,
email: isaek@volos-city.gr, https://isaek-volos.gr/
