From 28 to 30 September 2026, experts, lecturers and international partners came together to draw up the guidelines, the MOOC platform and the training programmes designed for professionals in the Beauty & Wellness sector.
The three-day transnational meeting dedicated to the European ‘GBV Watch Salons’ project, promoted and co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, concluded on Wednesday 30 September. The event was hosted and organised by Apro Formazione in collaboration with Confartigianato Cuneo, under the overall coordination of the European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB).
The initiative is based on an innovative premise: hairdressing and beauty salons are places of trust and daily interaction, informal settings ideally suited to the early detection of signs of distress, gender-based violence or domestic abuse. The project therefore aims to provide professionals, students and trainers in the Beauty & Wellness sector with targeted skills, methodological tools and practical guidance to recognise warning signs and discreetly and safely refer potential victims to support networks and specialised local services.
All delegates from the international partnership – comprising EVBB and BK Consult (Germany), AKMI, IME GSEVEE and SYMPLEXIS (Greece), FORMATEMP, CCIT and ICCV (Romania), Dayana-X and NASMB (Bulgaria), together with the Italian organisations Apro Formazione and Confartigianato Cuneo – took an active part in the meeting. The proceedings were organised around two parallel and complementary sessions: the 3rd Transnational Partnership Meeting and the International Training of Trainers.
The 3rd Transnational Partner Meeting focused on the strategic management of the project, taking stock of the progress made.
During the meeting, the new MOOC digital platform and the plan for the upcoming pilot activities led by the Greek partner AKMI were presented. The partners also discussed the framework for the policy recommendations coordinated by IME GSEVEE, BK Consult and EVBB, which are necessary to structurally integrate these modules into national school and training programmes. A specific session, organised by Apro Formazione, was dedicated to the organisation of the forthcoming International Online Summit, scheduled for 25 November 2026. At the same time, EVBB presented the official website and the toolkit for the European awareness-raising and prevention campaign on GBV (Gender-Based Violence).
Running concurrently with the meeting, Apro Formazione coordinated the Transnational Training Activity for Trainers in the Beauty Sector, an intensive training and workshop programme aimed at teachers and educators in the beauty and hairdressing sectors.
Guided by experts in the field of gender-based violence, participants took part in practical exercises, case study simulations and teaching methodologies designed to deliver the training modules. On the final day, 30 September, the trainers worked on co-designing the module dedicated to local support resources and the specific support services available in each partner country, finalising the adaptation of the content and assessing operational readiness for the launch of the pilot programme in their respective national contexts.
“The GBV Watch Salons project demonstrates how vocational training can go beyond mere technical instruction to take on profound social and ethical value,” explains Antonio Bosio, General Director of Apro Formazione. “Beauty and wellness salons are community hubs where personal care goes hand in hand with active listening. We are proud to put the institute’s expertise at the service of a European network capable of transforming future professionals into guardians of protection and prevention against violence against women.”
The next stages of the project will see the official launch of the pilot phase, involving students and female workers in the beauty sector directly, the launch of the digital communication campaign, and preparations for the online summit open to the interested public, scheduled for 25 November.
