Paul Van der Steen, consultant in the diamond sector and vice-chairman of SBD, plays a crucial role within the Education Steering Group of the diamond sector (*). This steering group focuses, among other things, on the coordination between diamond education and the labor market. One of the most important motivations for Paul is attracting young people to the diamond sector, a necessity given the current median age of diamond workers is 53 years. “The future of the Belgian diamond industry depends on the next generation. It is essential that we make De Stemstroom's Diamond Polishing course attractive and relevant for students and employers,” Paul emphasizes. De Stemstroom is the only secondary school in Europe that offers diamond education.
“This month, a proud student said that he had given a beautiful self-polished stone to his mother on the occasion of Mother's Day. This is why we do it, isn't it?”
To make the training more interesting, Paul successfully guided the purchase of 100 pieces of pre-finished moissanite for students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th years. Moissanite, with a hardness of 9.25 on the Mohs scale, is an ideal training material. The successful introduction of moissanite is an example of pioneering work within the Steering Group. The more experienced students of the 6th and 7th year are now practicing on synthetic diamonds, which are provided free of charge by one of the employers. The unsatisfactory practice on opaque materials (such as “koters” and even bullets), which cannot reflect light, is finally a thing of the past. “This month, a proud student said that he had given a beautiful self-polished stone to his mother on the occasion of Mother's Day. This is why we do it, isn't it?” says Paul, who notes with satisfaction that the students are proud of their craft.
Since more fancy shapes than round brilliants are processed in Belgian diamond workshops, fancy diamond cutting and polishing is integrated into the Diamond training. “Given the fact that diamond employers are mainly looking for workers who can polish fancy shapes, it is illogical that fantasy cutting is currently only discussed very briefly in the training,” says Paul. He develops the course material, tailored to the students, and teaches the practical teachers to work with software to support cutting and polishing of fancy shapes. “For example, teachers can show an “ugly pear” and a “beautiful pear” to the students, and the impact of changing parameters on brilliance and weight.”
Paul Van der Steen is pleased that the seventh year will be completely devoted to cutting and polishing of fancy shapes from the 2025-2026 school year, which will be a dual learning course. Paul sees great advantages in the dual learning system, which can strengthen the bridge between the De Stemstroom school and the labor market. “This system increases the chance of progression to the labor market after graduation, and offers students the opportunity to work with high-quality, high-tech machines and learn from experienced diamond cutters.” In the future, polishing will be increasingly supported by technology. Although the school invests in new equipment, it will not always be possible to provide the most advanced machines in the classroom. But the system also offers advantages for employers. “Employers can 'mold' a young person to their way of working at a relatively low cost, who can possibly remain employed after the dual program,” says Paul. He encourages employers to give young people this opportunity, which of course always entails a certain risk, but also means an important social commitment: “I would like to remind SBD members once again of the high average age of diamond workers.”
Paul's work has not only taken the training to a higher level, but also strengthens the bridge to the labor market, thereby contributing to the training of a new generation of diamond workers who are ready for the future. Thank you for your dedication, Paul!
(*) The addendum to the 2020-2025 Education Convenant, a MOU between industry stakeholders, the educational field and the city of Antwerp, sets out additional actions to increase the influx of qualified diamond cutters into the diamond sector. The Steering Group puts the aforementioned actions into practice.
