Enabling Sustainable Growth and Transformation of SMEs with a Focus on Work-Based Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Enabling Sustainable Growth and Transformation of SMEs with a Focus on Work-Based Learning

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of not only the European but also global economy. For a sustainable growth and transformation , SMEs should (further) learn be supported about the strategies, tools, mechanisms and methods on the following 4 topics:

1) Incorporation of Positive Impact Values: incorporating a company mindset for positive impact entrepreneurship and pursuing competitive advantages presented in sustainable business areas.
2) Internationalization: opening up their businesses to other countries than where they are originally based. It can be in the form of offering their products/services to, collaborating with organizations from, employing workforce based in other countries.
3) Digital Transformation: transforming towards a digital business or using it as its core advantage in building a new product/service.
4) Financial Access: reaching out and attracting various types of (international) funds and investment opportunities on national and international levels.

These topics are either emerging or not-yet-mainstreamed issues. SMEs are usually lacking the knowledge and expertise on them or not able to deal with them with their regular staff. Also, as mentioned before, in the framework of these topics, there is plenty of financial and managerial support systems and tools for SMEs at the international, European and national levels. However, it is quite challenging for certain SMEs to understand and have access to such support mechanisms, especially to financial funds. In order to grow their businesses in a sustainable way, they are usually in need of guidance and coaching. There are no quality and/or free-to-access knowledge and tools covering all those 4 topics that SME-educators can make use of in their support service to SMEs.

In this realm, the main objective of the project is to support SME-educators and increase their capacities in those 4 topic areas, so that they can help SMEs grow and transform in a sustainable way. Primarily addressed target group is SME-educators, which include entrepreneurship-ecosystem-practitioners, coaches, consultants, mentors, trainers and alike.

The project consortium, which is composed of total 6 organizations from Germany (Global Impact Grid and N&P Business Consulting), Italy (AREGAI), Croatia (IDOP), Serbia (Eurospring) and Turkey (GTE Carbon), work with SMEs and in one or more of the above-mentioned topic areas. They complement each others’ knowledge, expertise and skills needed for the completion of project activities and deliverables. In the framework of this strategic partnership, they will meet regularly and (further) learn about these topics, discuss cases, exchange good practices and opinions. The consortium will produce a collection of know-how and good practices, accompanied by a workshop methodology and digital toolkit (project’s deliverables), on these 4 topics. Project activities and deliverables will be disseminated to the target audience (SME-educators), as well as to wider stakeholder groups that include SMEs, entrepreneurs, SME-employees, policy-makers, investors, chambers of commerce, universities and alike.

Expected results / impact of the project can be summarized as follows:
– increase knowledge, experiences and skills of the project’s partners in those 4 topic areas through discussions and exchange of best practices,
– increase/develope experiences and capabilities of project partners in engaging cross-border & inter-institutional partnerships and transnational projects,
– support SME-educators and enhance their capabilities in those 4 topic areas with project’s deliverables (i.e. workshop methodology and digital toolkit),
– enhance the capabilities of wider stakeholder groups (that include entrepreneurs, SME-employees, policy-makers, investors, and alike) in long term,
– pave the way towards creation of specific professions / positions in SMEs dealing with those topics.

The consortium will mainly apply and reflect upon work-based learning methodologies (such as project-based learning, blended-learning, etc.) throughout the project and in it deliverables.

Project Website

http://www.gt4sme.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 58060 Eur

Project Coordinator

GLOBAL IMPACT GRID GBR & Country: DE

Project Partners

• AREGAI TERRE DI BENESSERE ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE
• N&P Business Consulting GmbH
• INSTITUT ZA DRUSTVENO ODGOVORNO POSLOVANJE
• Eurospring d.o.o.
• GTE KARBON SURDURULEBILIR ENERJI EGITIM DANISMANLIK VE TICARET AS