Porro said: “Training is of paramount importance today if we are to promote and include new generations in crafts and small industrial enterprises, which are such a crucial element for our industry. We must ensure that great masters’ craftsmanship is passed on and cross-pollinated with the latest technological developments, enabling people to leverage renewed skills as a tool for growth and evolving tradition, as a way of redesigning the future of wood design.”

On Saturday 13 November, the Corriere della Sera newspaper published Unione Artigiani figures according to which some 27,000 businesses and at least 50,000 workers in and around Milan are employed in “activities vital to metropolitan life, closely bound up with quality and the attractiveness of the capital of Made in Italy.”

Published in the newspaper Libero the day after the signing ceremony, an article by Dino Bondavalli stressed, “the intention behind this Pact is to contribute more and more actively to entrepreneurial revitalization, employment growth and inclusiveness.” The article covered Maria Porro’s vision: “The wood/furniture supply chain in Italy is worth €49 billion and employs some 290 thousand people, with Lombardy and Veneto its top regions. However, despite posting growth during Covid, and despite being an exciting industry that allows its employees to engage with the whole world, it is struggling to recruit new employees.”