Training Entrepreneurs in Connecting Generations and Supporting Successful Business Succession Planning for micro-SMEs Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training Entrepreneurs in Connecting Generations and Supporting Successful Business Succession Planning for micro-SMEs

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

SMEs and their entrepreneurs are the key generators of employment and income as well as drivers of innovation and
growth. In the OECD area, they employ more than half of the labour force in the private sector. In the European Union, they account for over 99 % of all companies. Furthermore, 91 % of these companies are micro-SMEs with less than 10 workers. About three quarters of SMEs are active in the five key sectors: wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, construction, business services and accommodation and food services. In 2014 the EU28 SME value added grew by 3.3% and employment by 1.2%, compared to a 2013 value added growth of 1.6% and employment decline of 0.5%. According to the Annual Report on European SMEs 2014/2015, SMEs accounted in 2014 for 99.8% of all companies in the non-financial business sector in the EU28. For every km2 of land surface, the EU has an average of 5 SMEs. Moreover, in 2014 SMEs employed almost 90 million people – 67% of total employment, and generated 58% of the
sector’s value added. Obviously, SMEs, and in particular micro-SMEs are the beating heart of the European economy. Yet, a large number of these micro-SMEs fails when a new generation takes over. The saying that “the first generation founds the company, the 2nd generation expands the company, and the 3rd generation squanders the company” is unfortunately often true. Exactly to avoid such failure, this guide aims to provide handy and to the point insight to assist you as a successor in taking over an existing business from your parents/family. At the same time, this guide also wants to addresses some of the other difficulties micro-SMEs face in Europe, such as the lack of management skills and business knowledge. Every entrepreneur need to have basic notion of overall management, specifically those managerial aspects that are so typical to a micro-SME, and that will require your devoted attention. Furthermore,
the transfer of the company management from the previous generation requires to pay attention to very specific aspects of the previous management styles and approaches and the one you plan to install.
The InToGeneration project focused especially on how to efficiently plan and organise the business transfer to a successor. The project outputs provides Adult training course which assist the successors in taking over an existing business from their parents, using a mobile learning application, combined with an innovative modular training material approach.
Young successors and old generation business owners in Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany and Spain were provided with opportunity to experience innovative training which turned out to be flexible and effective method for acquiring new skills for the contemporary market situation. Local business networks were pleased to experience training platform which will be widely used by their members – micro SMEs from different economic sectors which need to receive specific knowledge on transition management. Policy makers in Bulgaria were able to reconsider and refine their strategies for business development and growth of micro SMEs and their expansion onto new markets.
The impact that partners have achieved was on all levels. In particular on regional level partners established contacts with a Regional agency for the promotion of small and medium size enterprises. On national level, they have established contacts with National agency for development of micro SMEs, Ministry of Economy and other institutions and third partners’ organizations. On EU level, the partners established contacts with international youth and young entrepreneurs’ organizations such as JCI.

Following outcomes has been delivered:
IO1: Comparative Analysis on current gaps in terms of transition of the business from old to new generation including specific aspects for curriculum development, implementation and training methodology.
IO2: A curriculum, course content (12 training units) and training material that meets the needs of micro-SMEs and that follows a case study approach through which successors can learn via handy examples and easy to learning concepts.
IO3: A mobile and online self assessment service, which is portable, handy and addresses the main concerns of a successful business transfer. An Android based learning environment, both mobile and online, where micro-SMEs exchanged best practices (http://into-generation.eu/e-learning) and Into-Generation app at Google play.
IO4: Pilot report findings – a summary of the results from all partners countries which provided guidelines for future exploitation of project results.
IO5: Quality strategy and final internal quality management report
IO6: Dissemination strategy
IO7: Exploitation plan

The consortium includes:
– Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Gazi Universitesi Teknoloji Fakultesi (TR),
– BERLINK ETN GmbH (DE),
– INTERPROJECTS (BG)
– K POULOPOULOS E.P.E. (GR)
– SINDICAT TREBALLADORS ENSENYAMENT P.V. (ES)
– Ankara Ticaret Odasi (TR)

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 240008,75 Eur

Project Coordinator

GAZI UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• INTERPROJECTS
• SINDICAT TREBALLADORS ENSENYAMENT P.V.
• K POULOPOULOS E.P.E.
• BERLINK ETN GMBH
• ANKARA TICARET ODASI