On 14 November 2025, the Wielkopolska Chamber of Crafts in Poznań held a closing conference after three years in the international project “Craftspeople without Borders” and awarded on this occasion the “International Master” (Międzynarodowy Mistrz) certificates.
Marek Skoraszewski, President of the Wielkopolska Chamber of Crafts, welcomed the gathered participants. Wojciech Jankowiak, Deputy Marshal of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship, then recalled the project’s inception and subsequent stages. He thanked the project’s initiators and implementers. He also referred to the over 25-year partnership between the Wielkopolska Voivodeship and Hesse, thanks to which our region had the opportunity to participate in this exciting project.
Bogumiła Frąckowiak, Project Coordinator, presented the project’s activities, emphasizing its uniqueness and innovation – the first time such a project had been implemented in Poland, providing comprehensive preparation for cooperation missions in developing countries. She spoke about the significant commitment of craftspeople, lecturers, the Poznań Science and Technology Park, the Chamber, the Wielkopolska Regional Government, and the Hesse-Poland Cooperation Center. She emphasized that, although the project was based on methodology previously implemented in Germany and France, it required expansion to include issues related to Ukraine and topics related to stress and trauma.
Fourteen craftspeople, from hairdresser, carpenter, tailor, florist, roofer, goldsmith, wickerworker to auto mechanic and construction worker, enthusiastically participated in 16 training sessions – a total of 165 hours of classes – some theoretical sessions, most practical on intercultural competences, international project management, training and education systems in various countries, conducting business and international activities, as well as living and working in unstable countries.
After completing the training, most of the craftspeople organised a four-week internship for participants from Ukraine or Moldova. One craftswoman went on a short-term mission to Tunisia and conducted training in wickerwork techniques there.
During the Closing Conference, two of the craftspeople – wickerworker Katarzyna Wachowiak-Szweda and carpenter Mirosław Tchórzewski-Sobieszczański – shared their experiences with the internships. Also engaging was the presentation by intern Andrii, who shared his impressions of the internship from his perspective.
The next speaker, Markus Eicher, International Coordinator of the “Craftspeople without Borders” project from the Chamber of Skilled Crafts Frankfurt-Rhein-Main, summarised the project in a European context. He also thanked the Wielkopolska Voivodeship for its assistance in establishing cooperation with partners from the Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine and Moldova. He emphasized that each party (Germany, France, Italy, and Poland) wishes to continue implementing such a valuable project and keep on seeking funding.
The highlight of the ceremony was the awarding of 13 “International Master” certificates through the President of the Wielkopolska Chamber of Crafts in Poznań, the Deputy Marshal of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship, and the project coordinators from Germany and Poland.
As a final note, all participants expressed their high satisfaction with the project and wanted to stress their willingness to organise new internships for people from Ukraine in the future, as well as to go on short-term missions to developing countries.
All photos in this post courtesy of the Poznań Marshal Office
Article published on Wielkopolska Chamber of Craft website (in Polish)