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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Progress Report
Public Part
Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Project information
Project acronym: Project title:
ODESSA Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Project number:
134238-LLP-1-2007-1-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP 2007-3480/001-001
Sub-programme or KA: Project website:
LLP Grundtvig Multilateral Projects http://www.Exemplas.com/ Please note: Project website password can be found in the Confidential part of this report
Reporting period:
From To
01/12/07 31/10/08 1 10/11/2008 Exemplas Holdings Limited Hilary Oakley Exemplas Holdings Limited +44(0)1707398160 [email protected]
Report version: Date of preparation:
Beneficiary organisation:
Project coordinator: Project coordinator organisation: Project coordinator telephone number: Project coordinator email address:
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Executive Summary
This interim report is to inform the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the progress made with the Lifelong Learning Programme Grundtvig project named Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies (ODESSA). The project objectives are: • • • to improve the performance of SMEs by encouraging greater participation in learning by SME managers to overcome barriers to learning in that SMEs feel that training is not relevant to their needs and that training should be developed which is tailored to them to provide a consistent EU-wide method for quality assuring SME training and support from publicly funded bodies.
The target users are, in the project lifetime, the business support organisations (BSOs) and business support individuals (BSIs) who will receive training to achieve a new standard of operation, and subsequently the SME recipients of their support who will be encouraged to take up learning and training which is more relevant to their needs and is quality assured. The project consortium is made up of four EU national and regional agencies providing training to SMEs (Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain and UK), with two silent partners (Switzerland and Abu Dhabi) providing specific expertise in standards applied to training. The project approach is to research the current situation for SME training and how training quality is managed, create new standards for trainers and those funding training, train advisers and assessors in applying the standards, and help BSOs and BSIs to achieve them. The aim is that as the standards are adopted more widely, training quality will improve, recognition of the ODESSA standard will become widespread, SMEs will recognise it as a brand of quality assured relevant training which will encourage take-up of the training opportunities they are offered. This is an interim report and therefore some project outcomes have not yet been reached. However, the project is absolutely on track in its progress, and all the workpackages due for completion have been done and are described in the following pages. Outcomes to date include the research phase with stakeholders and relevant influencers and the resultant country reports, creation of the project extranet website, three partner meetings, evaluation report on the working of the partnership, creation of training materials for the first tranche of ODESSA participants, and creation of standards for BSOs and BSIs to work towards. Plans for the future cover all the remaining workpackages, but the most immediate activity will be the training of all partners’ advisers and assessors so they can begin to carry out the piloting of the standards directly with end users. We feel this will begin to show where real impact can be made on training and service quality provided to SMEs. The training materials will be refined and enhanced as a result of the pilot, and the assessment methodology will be tested and where necessary revised in the light of experience and feedback, to give sufficient rigour whilst ensuring widespread applicability. All the materials will then be translated and produced ready for use, and the final workpackages will address dissemination, franchising, the assessment network and project evaluation. The dissemination. assessment network and franchising strategy will be designed to ensure sustainability, with the long-term aim of creating widespread recognition of the ODESSA standards and management of the assessment process EU-wide to maintain its accountability, consistent application and reputation as a guarantee of SME training quality. The project website has been used throughout as a means of effective communication; access to it is provided by the username and password shown in section 8 of the Confidential report.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. PROJECT OBJECTIVES.................................................................................... 5 PROJECT APPROACH ...................................................................................... 7 PROJECT OUTCOMES & RESULTS............................................................... 10 PARTNERSHIPS .............................................................................................. 14 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE .............................................................................. 17 CONTRIBUTION TO EU POLICIES ................................................................. 18
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1.
• • •
Project Objectives
The project’s objectives are to: by improving the quality of and participation in training provided to SMEs and thus support SME development and performance improvement to overcome barriers to learning in that SMEs feel that training is not relevant to their needs and that training should be developed which is tailored to them to provide a consistent EU-wide method for quality assuring SME training and support from publicly funded bodies.
The project will create a range of training materials, a single framework of standards, a robust assessment methodology, and a network of trained assessors and advisers equipped with relevant tools. It includes: • • • piloting this training, assessment tools and framework within the networks of SME support centres within partner countries training advisers and assessors in each partner country to promote, and assess against, the quality framework To develop plans for a wider roll out as common EU-wide standards for trainers, backed by a common brand associated with quality.
In terms of general benefits from this project, it is accepted that SME development opportunities are enhanced when they have access to high-quality knowledgeable SME trainers and business support. Improved training benefits SMEs, which are an important priority in the EU as they contribute to greater innovation and flexibility of the economy; hence the EU economy as a whole is strengthened by a stronger SME sector with access to high-quality support. SMEs themselves will, as a result of this project, start to experience a more consistent standard of support and know they can rely on the approved trainers and consultants, agencies, and advisors. Identification of a common branding for the ODESSA training materials and operational standards across SME support agencies and trainers/consultants to SMEs will reduce the confusion in the marketplace over which training standard is most relevant, bringing all who aim to supply such services to SMEs up to an agreed level of operating capability. Specific benefits from this project are expected in these communities of users: SME support agencies, who will have achieved a commonly agreed EU-wide standard for high-quality business training and support, will be able to promote that achievement to their SME market, and have a platform for monitoring and ensuring a consistent level of service SME support staff including trainers, advisers and consultants, who will be assessed against and achieve a standard for their own work activity which reflects their professionalism and is a portable qualification
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Both these groups of users are participating in the project directly, because many of the partners are business support agencies (whether public or private organisations) and they
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies are aiming for their own organisations and staff to be involved in the piloting before more widespread dissemination takes place. From the perspective of the Spanish partner in the project, Chamber of Commerce and industries in Toledo (CCIT), the project’s objectives are also very interesting in that they link into their own objectives; training and advising of companies are the foundation of the services that they offer. Also, Toledo’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries already had experience in many implemented systems of quality and environment management, but can now participate in the design of new processes and tools and pilot them so that they achieve the wider objective of benefiting not just the companies that participate in the project, but more widely in their region and country. The Slovakian partner, National Agency for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (NADSME) feels that the successful implementation of the project’s objectives will definitely make a contribution for the whole European Union and its members. The Bulgarian project partner, the Bulgaria Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) has a further perspective on the ODESSA project’s objectives regarding their strategic alignment with and relevance to a national programme for raising the competitiveness of the SME sector. This includes the development of a network of business support organisations (BSOs) and preparing to implement new service packages for enterprises, both general and specialised. The actions will include: • • • • development and maintenance of standards for service provision by a network of business support institutions standards of practice for the member institutions investment necessary for proper functioning of the BSOs building up and /or development of thematic business support databases, etc.
The development of the Business Support Network requires the identification of criteria for members of the network. The ODESSA project’s objectives are in full compliance with these strategic priorities and it is hoped that the development of a quality framework and quality assurance process for trainers, as a model of effective SME support, will become an example for international collaboration between national and regional SME support agencies.
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2.
Project Approach
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
The project approach has been in accordance with the original plans and workpackages; we have been very pleased that our intended methods and work breakdown structure have been so effective this far. The research phase with which the project commenced was carried out across all the partner countries and indicated a significant gap in the provision of relevant training standards for Business Support Organisations (BSOs). The position varied across the participating countries, but even in the UK where many standards have been created and promoted in the past and overlap can be seen between some standards, there were still gaps in the actual coverage both at the level of standards for individuals, and to a lesser degree for organisations. The reports and comparison table for the research phase can be found on the project website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. The project cooperation was firmly established with the first partner meeting and although some personnel have unfortunately moved on from the project teams, their replacements have been equally or even more competent. The effective handover of work and responsibilities has meant these personnel changes have not caused delay or problems. Use and updating of the project website has been both regular and ad-hoc so that project news is uploaded monthly and any significant additional activity in the interim is also made available immediately. Website use is monitored, and all partners are aware of its value as a central and up-to-date resource. Developing the training materials and standards as a partnership has been extremely useful. The differences between the stages of implementation and/or acceptance of existing standards in various partner countries have enabled us to bring added value to the development of a new common set of materials enabling relevant standards to be reached. This is because, for it to be successful, widespread acceptability and relevance of the new standard have been of critical importance. So the input from the partnership has been instrumental in focussing our emphasis in this project on simplicity, accessibility and clarity in the standard itself, so that training advisers, assessors and trainers in it will be feasible and backed up by a robust and moderated assessment methodology which can be extended to other users in future. Developing and disseminating these materials EU-wide will promote the EU as the level at which a transnational standard for SME training and support can and should apply. The evaluation strategy used has been to split the evaluation into several strands, which provide added value during the project as well as evaluating it longitudinally. Firstly, the partnership has been involved at all stages to review, evaluate and modify the draft materials internally. Secondly, an independent external evaluation on how the partnership has been working thus far during the project has been carried out and the report of the external evaluator is available on the project website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Evaluation. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. Further evaluation will be carried out shortly by participants in the assessor and adviser training courses, which will give valuable feedback and assist us in ongoing refinement of the materials.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies Dissemination and exploitation of the work so far has been internal to the project participants, with useful input into research and general guidance from stakeholders. Our project plans for this are covered in more detail in section 5, Plans for the Future.
NADSME, Slovakia At the beginning NADSME would like to present our enthusiasm about the approval of the project. We feel that the successful implementation of the project’s objectives will be definitely the contribution for whole European Union and its members. The common European quality standards for education of SMEs employees are not present at all in our countries. According to the results of the research in Slovakia, for example, 82% of consultant agencies and business support organisations think that we need standards of competence for trainers. At the first Partners Meeting everybody had the opportunity to get to know each other and to establish common cooperation. Every partner is active. All of us are aware of the need of common quality standards for education of the people working with SMEs. Due to this fact, everybody is keen on the project activities. Step by step we are getting the fruit of our cooperation. The proposals for the standards are improved by common discussion among specialists from each organisation. For us it is very important that non-EU countries were also involved in the project. From our point of view it’s a very positive act if we involve those countries as well. They can bring other specific and perspective views and let us know how things are working outside of the EU area. We think it helps us not to be closed and reserved in our way of developing ideas. We would say that it supports our open–mindedness in thinking about new challenges as well. The project started on time and we continue exactly on time with the plan of the workflow stipulated at the beginning. The role of each NADSME member included is clear. At this time we are entering the most important phase of the project. We are choosing partners who could in the future cover activities arising from project activities. For achievement of our project goals we need skilled and educated people. This is a crucial factor for the success of the project’s objectives and implementation.
CCIT, Spain
The project approach for us has been in accordance with the project workpackages: • To discuss the project plan with our local providers of support and training to SMEs and other key stakeholders, and gather their support and their input to the project’s developments, through the development of a Stakeholder Forum. To input to the development of quality standards and training materials through our local research, through partner meetings as well as through ongoing e-mail and telephone communications. To take responsibility for the translation of quality standards and training materials into our local language To pilot the quality frameworks and training materials which the project will develop with a small number of local SME centres In addition to host one of the partner meetings, which took place at Toledo in May 2008.
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• • •
The first phase for the project was the Research Phase which introduced the partners in the project and explained as necessary how the work of the partners involved is coordinated and monitored. This first meeting was in the UK, in which we covered the topics of introducing
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies each project member, scoping and agreeing the delivery of workpackages in detail, agreeing upon the output details, agreeing on common communication protocols for coordination and monitoring and reporting, and finally understanding the EU funding and matching requirements, and all other administrative requirements. This first meeting also required partners to identify and talk with a sample of local SME support centers in the region or country. The second phase of the project was the Stakeholder Forum made up of the key players that had emerged in the course of the research. The two-day meeting in Toledo, Spain represented the end of the Research Phase and the point in which agreements were made as to the materials which are to be developed. Here was discussed the research carried out by all partners, and the overview of scope and content based on all this partner work which had been compiled. We agreed the overall shape of the materials to be developed and the detailed distribution of tasks among the partners, the draft evaluation methodology developed and agreement/commitment as to how this will work in practice, and finally revisited the administrative requirements and a firming up of partner understanding. The third phase involved feedback to the Stakeholder Fora of the materials developed to date and making any immediate refinements that are required. The Fora are committed to the standard and the quality assurance process, as well as seeing the training materials as being a logical and effective way of improving the competencies and quality of the relevant individuals and centers. This meeting was held for two days in Bratislava and covered areas reviewing and confirming the competency standards that have been developed and the detailed training materials, preparing for the submission of an interim report at twelve months after the beginning project, and detailed planning for the piloting phase that follows.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
During this project period, our staff became better acquainted with the project and the relevant obligations for each member of the team. This period was also the time for education and accumulation of experience for our team working on the project activities, gaining more skills and knowledge regarding the BSOs training programs’ content and the preparation of the project reports. The project management also improves the capabilities of our experts in networking and collaborating with different partners from abroad. The participation of BSMEPA in the present project is of great importance for business support policies in Bulgaria, because there are no existing quality standards for trainers at national level and there are no official registers of advisers/coachers available in Bulgaria. Research on BSO services in Bulgaria was carried out and the questionnaire was sent out to 20 organisations. Of the 20 organisations surveyed, not all of them sent back the requested information, and this is assumed to be due to a reluctance to share internal information. At the same time almost all Bulgarian advisors confirm that there is a need of standards for this sector. The conclusion we have drawn from this fact is that we need to stimulate the interest among their clients - the SME managers - towards services provided by organisations and individuals holding international quality and capacity standards. In order to meet this demand, we expect more and more service providers will wish to become assessors of standards for BSOs. This will result in an increase in the number of SMEs with successful project applications to different grant schemes and will raise the level of their competitiveness. In this aspect the dissemination of information of the project and the training materials is of great importance for the sustainability of the results.
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3.
Project Outcomes & Results
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
The project outcomes to the end of October have been as planned in the workpackages and we are pleased to report that the project is exactly on track, and indeed slightly ahead on one area of activity. In general terms this reporting period has resulted in development of the training materials and standards which are ready and approved for use in the next phase. Please note that accessing the project website referenced below requires a password, which has been supplied in section 8 of the Confidential part of this report. The workpackages which were to be completed by this point in the project are shown below with their workpackage reference numbers. They are: MNGT (ref 1) – Hold partner meeting 1 in Hatfield, UK This took place on 28 and 29 January 2008 and the meeting minutes are available at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Meetings/Partner-Meeting-1/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. RES (ref 2) - Research existing standards RES (ref 3) - Engage with SME support centres RES (ref 4) - Engage with government RES (ref 5) - Discuss with national/professional bodies RES (ref 6) - Develop wider stakeholder forum All these workpackages formed part of the research phase. This research has been done in each partner country and the results are shown on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 7)- Draft scope and content overview This has been done, and the scope and framework were submitted to partners for comments on 30 May 2008 and are on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Research/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. QPLN (ref 8) - Draft evaluation methodology This was completed early in the project and the first stage of the evaluation work to be done (the external evaluation of the partnership and effectiveness of the ongoing project activity) was offered for tender on 30 June 2008. The tenderer selected was Aegis Management Services; their evaluator attended the Bratislava partner meeting on 19 September and conducted the evaluation with project partners. The completed evaluation report can be seen at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Evaluation/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. MNGT (ref 9) - Hold partner meeting 2 in Spain This took place on 12 and 13 May 2008 and the minutes can be seen at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Meetings/Partner-meeting-2/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
PREP (ref 10) - Draft detailed standards This has been done, the partners provided feedback at each stage of drafting to refine the standards and all the published drafts can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
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PREP (ref 11) - Develop draft training materials This has been done, and the drafts of the training materials were discussed and refined at the partner meeting in Bratislava on 18 & 19 September. PREP (ref 12) - Discuss with stakeholders Discussions have taken place during the course of the project at various points with stakeholders across the partner countries. These discussions were not formally minuted but have been very useful in clarifying market needs and informing the revisions to drafts and methodologies. MNGT (ref 13) - Hold partner meeting 3 and stakeholder forum in Slovakia This took place on 18 & 19 September and the minutes of the meeting, and the stakeholder forum can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Meetings/Partner-Meeting-3/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 14) - Pilot with SME centres The confidential part of this interim report shows that this is a workpackage which deviates from the original plan. In the original plan for this workpackage it was envisaged that a pilot would take place with various BSOs at this stage of the project. As the project progressed it was decided by the partners that this would be better accomplished, and with more value added, if it formed part of the work assigned to assessors and advisers of the standards. Of course, this required the assessors and advisers to be identified and trained in advance of the BSO pilot. The development of training materials has taken this into account, so that part of the assessor/adviser training course will include practising this dry-run pilot (see PREP ref 15 below.) PREP (ref 15) Complete draft training pack and translation This has been completed and sent to partners for translation in advance of the first assessor and adviser training courses beginning in December 2008. The materials can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Training-Materials/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 16) Identify and train local advisers and assessors How to select appropriate people in each partner country was discussed at the Bratislava meeting. All partners have identified the relevant number of attendees for the first training sessions, which have been scheduled for December 2008. Further information is provided at section 5, Plans for the Future and the training schedule can be viewed on the website at http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Project-News. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
PREA (ref 20) - Draft model for assessment network This model has been drafted in advance of the expected time, and was presented to partners for refinement at the meeting in Bratislava on 18 & 19 September 08. When redrafted it will be placed on the project website. In our plans for this project we stated that we would assess our progress against the following criteria at this interim stage in the project: • • • Completion of the research phase to time and credibility of the research outcomes Establishment of local Stakeholder Fora in each partner’s area to time Development and acceptance by stakeholders of the proposed quality standards, QA framework and associated training materials
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies • Submission by partners to the lead partner of realistic claims at agreed stages and completion of good quality reports at the mid point.
We are very pleased to report that these criteria have all been met and we regard the progress of this project to be absolutely on track at this point.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
The first partner meeting in the UK established the foundation of the communication and collaboration between the project partners, who were introduced to the project details. The lead organization Exemplas Holdings Ltd provides regular assistance to the partners in their activities related to the project implementation and helps us in better understanding the guidelines of the project management, which is very useful for our participation. After the partners’ meeting BSMEPA identified reliable partners in Bulgaria, providing services to SMEs, who could be interested in participating in the project. We studied the BSO services in terms of content and coverage, skills and experience of their staff, their requirements from their experts, etc. The most reliable organisations were introduced to the goals of the project and the possibilities for collaboration. Exemplas Holdings Ltd prepared and sent a questionnaire and the core text, which were translated into Bulgarian and disseminated between local business service providers. Our team received answers to the questionnaire from Bulgarian CCI, The Association of Regional Development Agencies, RDA, Sofia University and The Postgraduate institute. They were analyzed and summarized and then sent to Exemplas Holdings Ltd. The results of the research in each country were discussed at the second partner meeting in Toledo, Spain. An overview of the planned scope and content of the new standards was presented by the lead partner and the tasks were distributed. The participants also received very useful information about some administration arrangements like EU finance and admin rules, contracting, reporting, etc. Exemplas Holdings Ltd created timesheets and claim forms on the basis of their previous experience. The draft framework of the standards was sent by Exemplas Holdings Ltd to all partners. BSMEPA involved people from different divisions of governmental institutions and NGOs to participate in the discussions and invited them to make proposals for their adjustment according to the local requirements. This stage of the project engaged more participants and led to the development of a national stakeholders forum, which had a positive impact also on the general functionalities of BSMEPA. The project handbook, released in this period and the methodology elaborated by Exemplas Holdings Ltd were very helpful for us and make us believe that the project will be well accepted and will become more popular from now on in Bulgaria.
NADSME, Slovakia
The project started with the first Partners Meeting in the UK. During this meeting, professional interpersonal relationships were established and initial problems were discussed. Subsequently research into existing quality standards was carried out. This crucial step showed the absence of standards to which SME trainers/advisers and local SME centres are working in the post-socialist countries. 70.8% of the labour force in Slovakia is employed by SMEs. Small and medium enterprises contribute almost 70% of GDP in EU. All these facts are supporting the need to adopt the common quality standards for education of SMEs managers. Thanks to this project co-financed by EU we will be able to bridge this gap. First of all we were able to establish functional cooperation with our partners. We are sharing information and our activities are coordinated. This fact ensures that the result of the work will be applicable at international level. Each member of the partnership brings their own
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies perspective to the original proposals. Drafts are being refined and changed according to these particular specific comments. The results of the research of every country had been presented at the Second Partners Meeting in Toledo, Spain. Afterwards the work started on the process of development of standards and the methodology for assessment. At NADSME we were able to involve people from different departments to work on the project together. Everybody has his/her clear role. With the third Partners Meeting in Bratislava, organized by NADSME, we entered the most important phase of the project agenda. All partners, except ADICOE representatives, could attend this two–day meeting. In Bratislava we discussed the main points of project matters. Every question and problem could be discussed among all of us. Within the meeting a Stakeholders Forum was held too. The representatives from Slovak institutions such as The Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and Academia Istropolitana all attended and talked with all partners. They were proud of being invited to our international event and having the opportunity to represent their professional opinion. We have been given valuable advice and external opinions from lifelong–learning specialists. Furthermore some of them have expressed interest in participating with our Consortium in the following project phases. The promotion of the project to other organisations has been started in this way also. During the project time–period, a project manager has left NADSME, so the agenda of the project was transferred to a newcomer at the Agency. However the continuity of the project has not been disrupted at all. The effectiveness of the project administration work in the early stages would have been better if we could have had all documents available for us to use on time. The submission of documents should have been done quarterly, but due to late delivery of templates from EU we have been doing costs statement for 9 months at once. However this little issue has been resolved and now we are up to date with all administration concerns too. We feel the opportunity to create educational quality standards could be utilized for more widespread use under an effrctive franchising strategy in the future as well. Hence this will be addressed in later project activity and the procedure will be coordinated with all partners. CCIT, Spain The outcomes and results from the first reporting period are now published. Our aim now reflects the next task for our project, and that is to have the companies in our area become familiar with the standards via the new BSO and SME trainers or assessors, to verify if we are meeting the potential of what we set out to do in our last meeting in Bratislava. We want to implement the four principles and have the assessors make this possible.
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4.
Partnerships
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
Added Value The partnership development of the ODESSA training materials and standards will create a widespread platform of achievement for BSOs and BSIs, where standards do not exist or are fragmented. Rolled out at the European level, this is important because it promotes the notion of the EU as the level at which the quality of SME support should be managed and quality assured. Building a co-operative partnership between national and regional SME agencies is a powerful tool to develop EU-wide economic development, rather than focussing solely on national or regional development which may advantage one area but not assist the neighbouring region/country. As other nations/regions adopt and roll out the standards after the project’s completion, that partnership will be significantly extended. Raising the level of SME training and support across the EU, with an initial focus on Central and Eastern Europe, will facilitate the mobility and growth of SMEs within the Union, who will recognise the standards as a guarantee of good quality SME support wherever they are implemented. Encouraging greater uptake of learning and development by SME managers will improve the workings of the SME economy and aid EU economic development in this important sector. Working together in partnership The strong partnership established from the start of this project has given significant added value in this project. Creating training based upon a set of standards which must be accessible and acceptable to our different countries, all having very varied situations in their current markets for business support, has raised the bar for all partners and enabled us to take a wide view of what can and should be put in place. For example, in the UK a lot of standards for training already exist but there is confusion amongst users about the best and most useful to adopt (as well as some gaps in the provision), but in Slovakia there is an identified absence of such standards. It is immensely valuable to experience such a wide range of current situations and only with broad-based support from such different countries can we have confidence that the training and standards will be useful and applicable to the rest of the EU in future. There is also a significant benefit in working with such well-placed partners. Exemplas Holdings Ltd is involved in managing almost a quarter of all centrally funded SME support in the UK, whilst NADSME and BSMEPA are the national agencies for SME support in Slovakia and Bulgaria respectively. Our perspective is widened by the Spanish partner, CCIT, working directly in the provision of support and training and therefore extremely well placed to comment on the “ease of use” – the applicability and workability - of such materials and standards. Our Swiss and Abu Dhabi silent partners are also extremely helpful to the project, both because of their expertise in other commercially widespread standards such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (Business Excellence Model) and BS EN ISO-9000, and for their expertise in national quality standards for trainers. Having these partners involved in the project is enabling the development of training and standards which are sufficiently stretching and rigorous to be worthwhile, whilst being clear and accessible to users as well as specialists.
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Exemplas Holdings Ltd has been very happy to provide effective administration support to the partners who have, in this interim report as well as the evaluation report and in many informal communications, expressed their satisfaction at the quality of support from the lead partner. Partnerships with stakeholders and users The research phase of the project has created a community of interested parties via the stakeholder fora and the people contacted during the research. All partners identify that their wider networks of contacts will be keen to hear more about the training standards and with the project progress being on track, our pilots of the first BSOs and BSIs working to achieve the standards will begin in December 08 and January 09. We expect this will create a momentum amongst the target users and that communication of the benefits will start to spread by word of mouth, even though the dissemination workpackages are still many months away.
NADSME, Slovakia
NADSME strongly appreciates cooperation with all of the members of our partnership. Exemplas Holdings Ltd, as the effective lead partner, coordinates all partners’ activities and effectively harmonizes all our functions. The communication is fluent and all unclear concerns are discussed and receive a prompt response. In particular we would like to emphasize the importance of the cooperation with partners outside EU (ADICOE – Abu Dhabi, SVEB – Switzerland). NADSME feels a strong opportunity and a new challenge in this cooperation with non–EU countries. Participants from Switzerland and Abu Dhabi bring different and very valuable points of view. For us it can be the base for a further cooperation in other projects as well. In our Stakeholders Forum we have an example of a partnership established with a wider group which appreciated being invited to participate and having the opportunity to represent their professional opinion. We gained valuable advice and external perspective from these specialists, some of whom expressed interest in participating with our Consortium and promoting the ODESSA standards to others in the following project phases.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
Partnership in the process of the project implementation has a crucial role for the participation of BSMEPA. Thanks to the effective coordination and advice provided by the leading partner, our staff can more easily handle the tasks related to the project. All our questions and comments were followed by immediate responses on behalf of Exemplas Holdings Ltd with appropriate help and explanations. In addition the information shared between all partners can be used to identify the best approach for project implementation in the different countries. In the course of the joint participation in this project new prospects could be identified for achieving further results and for new projects as per the specific needs of the region and the EU policies.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies CCIT, Spain For CCIT, it is their first time participating in a project that gives the opportunity to work with institutions from other countries in the European Union specifically in the area of training and employment. With the integration of other countries, they are pleased to be able to exchange information, learn other strategies and methods of training, participate in the design of new processes and tools and pilot them so that they benefit the companies that participate in the project, and later the region and their own country.
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5.
Plans for the Future
The plans for the remaining project work are of particular interest, as until now the partners’ work has been mainly in research and development. As we move into the next workpackages the activity and effects will spread as pilots begin across the project partner countries in December 08 and January 09. The plans for the next activities are as follows: • Carry out training of assessors and advisers who will go on to run local pilots with selected BSOs and BSIs to achieve the standards (timetable for the training can be viewed on the project website at http://www.Exemplas.com/ODESSA/Project-News. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report Initial feedback and evaluation by participants of the training packs will be used to improve the training materials and further training packs to support BSIs and BSOs to reach the standard required for them The assessment methodology will be used as part of the pilots and we will be enabled to refine it based on real-life tests The assessment network model will be redrafted based on feedback from the partners at the Bratislava meeting and feedback from the new assessors and advisers about aspects which will affect them in operating the assessment model Franchising strategy for the standards and training materials will be researched and developed into a draft for presenting to partners Branding/promotional strategy for the products will be created as well as a promotional website Planning for the dissemination conference Fourth partner meeting in France, at which outcomes of the pilots, agreement as to any final refinements required to the standards and the training materials, plans for the dissemination conference, other dissemination work, franchising and branding plans will all be covered Full final packs of all products will be created and translated Evaluation of the project’s success will take place.
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• •
As lead partner Exemplas Holdings Ltd is particularly responsible for looking long-term at the overall project work and ensuring all partners are able to carry out the various activities at the right time. Other partners are keen to plan and engage in the future activity by principally looking at the specific activity in each workpackage, for example CCIT in Spain expressed their view of immediate future activity thus: • • • To first and foremost inform the companies about the main points of the Four Principles in the Odessa standard To apply the norms of the Four Principles by training and educating individuals and businesses To follow up with the next phases by selecting five SME centres, having the assessor make reports on any shortcoming, and agree with the advisors an action plan for each center and each individual to raise their performance to the level required by the standards.
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6.
Contribution to EU policies
This project contributes to several key EU policies, objectives and priorities, as follows: Lisbon LIS-D16 – this project is, by creating learning materials about standards for trainers and advisers of SMEs, setting up a framework which will encourage more SME managers to engage in vocational training from suitably qualified trainers. LIS-E19 and LIS-F22 - because this project will provide better access to high quality training and advice for SME managers typically aged over 25 who do not possess high levels of education. Key Competency KC7: Entrepreneurship - this project supports KC7 because the framework and materials will be tightly focussed on advisers and trainers giving improved support and training to SMEs, providing SME managers with greater entrepreneurial skills. LLP Horizontal Policy Code C - Promoting equality and combating discrimination horizontal policy This project supports this policy because the standards and materials developed, and training delivered, underpin, reflect, and promote the horizontal policy of equality. In addition, the advisers and trainers participating in the ODESSA standards will in turn improve participation in training by SME managers, increasing their awareness of the importance of diversity within their workforces, as well as their knowledge of employment legislation to underpin equal opportunities. Complementarity Education and Training 2010 Work Programme: Enterprise Education and Training 2010 Work Programme: Employment This project supports the above programmes because the ODESSA quality frameworks and training materials will result in improved enterprise training, which will in turn result in better performing SMEs, able to offer more employment opportunities.
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doc_104670826.pdf
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Progress Report
Public Part
Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Project information
Project acronym: Project title:
ODESSA Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies
Project number:
134238-LLP-1-2007-1-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP 2007-3480/001-001
Sub-programme or KA: Project website:
LLP Grundtvig Multilateral Projects http://www.Exemplas.com/ Please note: Project website password can be found in the Confidential part of this report
Reporting period:
From To
01/12/07 31/10/08 1 10/11/2008 Exemplas Holdings Limited Hilary Oakley Exemplas Holdings Limited +44(0)1707398160 [email protected]
Report version: Date of preparation:
Beneficiary organisation:
Project coordinator: Project coordinator organisation: Project coordinator telephone number: Project coordinator email address:
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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Executive Summary
This interim report is to inform the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the progress made with the Lifelong Learning Programme Grundtvig project named Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies (ODESSA). The project objectives are: • • • to improve the performance of SMEs by encouraging greater participation in learning by SME managers to overcome barriers to learning in that SMEs feel that training is not relevant to their needs and that training should be developed which is tailored to them to provide a consistent EU-wide method for quality assuring SME training and support from publicly funded bodies.
The target users are, in the project lifetime, the business support organisations (BSOs) and business support individuals (BSIs) who will receive training to achieve a new standard of operation, and subsequently the SME recipients of their support who will be encouraged to take up learning and training which is more relevant to their needs and is quality assured. The project consortium is made up of four EU national and regional agencies providing training to SMEs (Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain and UK), with two silent partners (Switzerland and Abu Dhabi) providing specific expertise in standards applied to training. The project approach is to research the current situation for SME training and how training quality is managed, create new standards for trainers and those funding training, train advisers and assessors in applying the standards, and help BSOs and BSIs to achieve them. The aim is that as the standards are adopted more widely, training quality will improve, recognition of the ODESSA standard will become widespread, SMEs will recognise it as a brand of quality assured relevant training which will encourage take-up of the training opportunities they are offered. This is an interim report and therefore some project outcomes have not yet been reached. However, the project is absolutely on track in its progress, and all the workpackages due for completion have been done and are described in the following pages. Outcomes to date include the research phase with stakeholders and relevant influencers and the resultant country reports, creation of the project extranet website, three partner meetings, evaluation report on the working of the partnership, creation of training materials for the first tranche of ODESSA participants, and creation of standards for BSOs and BSIs to work towards. Plans for the future cover all the remaining workpackages, but the most immediate activity will be the training of all partners’ advisers and assessors so they can begin to carry out the piloting of the standards directly with end users. We feel this will begin to show where real impact can be made on training and service quality provided to SMEs. The training materials will be refined and enhanced as a result of the pilot, and the assessment methodology will be tested and where necessary revised in the light of experience and feedback, to give sufficient rigour whilst ensuring widespread applicability. All the materials will then be translated and produced ready for use, and the final workpackages will address dissemination, franchising, the assessment network and project evaluation. The dissemination. assessment network and franchising strategy will be designed to ensure sustainability, with the long-term aim of creating widespread recognition of the ODESSA standards and management of the assessment process EU-wide to maintain its accountability, consistent application and reputation as a guarantee of SME training quality. The project website has been used throughout as a means of effective communication; access to it is provided by the username and password shown in section 8 of the Confidential report.
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Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. PROJECT OBJECTIVES.................................................................................... 5 PROJECT APPROACH ...................................................................................... 7 PROJECT OUTCOMES & RESULTS............................................................... 10 PARTNERSHIPS .............................................................................................. 14 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE .............................................................................. 17 CONTRIBUTION TO EU POLICIES ................................................................. 18
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1.
• • •
Project Objectives
The project’s objectives are to: by improving the quality of and participation in training provided to SMEs and thus support SME development and performance improvement to overcome barriers to learning in that SMEs feel that training is not relevant to their needs and that training should be developed which is tailored to them to provide a consistent EU-wide method for quality assuring SME training and support from publicly funded bodies.
The project will create a range of training materials, a single framework of standards, a robust assessment methodology, and a network of trained assessors and advisers equipped with relevant tools. It includes: • • • piloting this training, assessment tools and framework within the networks of SME support centres within partner countries training advisers and assessors in each partner country to promote, and assess against, the quality framework To develop plans for a wider roll out as common EU-wide standards for trainers, backed by a common brand associated with quality.
In terms of general benefits from this project, it is accepted that SME development opportunities are enhanced when they have access to high-quality knowledgeable SME trainers and business support. Improved training benefits SMEs, which are an important priority in the EU as they contribute to greater innovation and flexibility of the economy; hence the EU economy as a whole is strengthened by a stronger SME sector with access to high-quality support. SMEs themselves will, as a result of this project, start to experience a more consistent standard of support and know they can rely on the approved trainers and consultants, agencies, and advisors. Identification of a common branding for the ODESSA training materials and operational standards across SME support agencies and trainers/consultants to SMEs will reduce the confusion in the marketplace over which training standard is most relevant, bringing all who aim to supply such services to SMEs up to an agreed level of operating capability. Specific benefits from this project are expected in these communities of users: SME support agencies, who will have achieved a commonly agreed EU-wide standard for high-quality business training and support, will be able to promote that achievement to their SME market, and have a platform for monitoring and ensuring a consistent level of service SME support staff including trainers, advisers and consultants, who will be assessed against and achieve a standard for their own work activity which reflects their professionalism and is a portable qualification
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Both these groups of users are participating in the project directly, because many of the partners are business support agencies (whether public or private organisations) and they
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies are aiming for their own organisations and staff to be involved in the piloting before more widespread dissemination takes place. From the perspective of the Spanish partner in the project, Chamber of Commerce and industries in Toledo (CCIT), the project’s objectives are also very interesting in that they link into their own objectives; training and advising of companies are the foundation of the services that they offer. Also, Toledo’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries already had experience in many implemented systems of quality and environment management, but can now participate in the design of new processes and tools and pilot them so that they achieve the wider objective of benefiting not just the companies that participate in the project, but more widely in their region and country. The Slovakian partner, National Agency for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (NADSME) feels that the successful implementation of the project’s objectives will definitely make a contribution for the whole European Union and its members. The Bulgarian project partner, the Bulgaria Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) has a further perspective on the ODESSA project’s objectives regarding their strategic alignment with and relevance to a national programme for raising the competitiveness of the SME sector. This includes the development of a network of business support organisations (BSOs) and preparing to implement new service packages for enterprises, both general and specialised. The actions will include: • • • • development and maintenance of standards for service provision by a network of business support institutions standards of practice for the member institutions investment necessary for proper functioning of the BSOs building up and /or development of thematic business support databases, etc.
The development of the Business Support Network requires the identification of criteria for members of the network. The ODESSA project’s objectives are in full compliance with these strategic priorities and it is hoped that the development of a quality framework and quality assurance process for trainers, as a model of effective SME support, will become an example for international collaboration between national and regional SME support agencies.
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2.
Project Approach
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
The project approach has been in accordance with the original plans and workpackages; we have been very pleased that our intended methods and work breakdown structure have been so effective this far. The research phase with which the project commenced was carried out across all the partner countries and indicated a significant gap in the provision of relevant training standards for Business Support Organisations (BSOs). The position varied across the participating countries, but even in the UK where many standards have been created and promoted in the past and overlap can be seen between some standards, there were still gaps in the actual coverage both at the level of standards for individuals, and to a lesser degree for organisations. The reports and comparison table for the research phase can be found on the project website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. The project cooperation was firmly established with the first partner meeting and although some personnel have unfortunately moved on from the project teams, their replacements have been equally or even more competent. The effective handover of work and responsibilities has meant these personnel changes have not caused delay or problems. Use and updating of the project website has been both regular and ad-hoc so that project news is uploaded monthly and any significant additional activity in the interim is also made available immediately. Website use is monitored, and all partners are aware of its value as a central and up-to-date resource. Developing the training materials and standards as a partnership has been extremely useful. The differences between the stages of implementation and/or acceptance of existing standards in various partner countries have enabled us to bring added value to the development of a new common set of materials enabling relevant standards to be reached. This is because, for it to be successful, widespread acceptability and relevance of the new standard have been of critical importance. So the input from the partnership has been instrumental in focussing our emphasis in this project on simplicity, accessibility and clarity in the standard itself, so that training advisers, assessors and trainers in it will be feasible and backed up by a robust and moderated assessment methodology which can be extended to other users in future. Developing and disseminating these materials EU-wide will promote the EU as the level at which a transnational standard for SME training and support can and should apply. The evaluation strategy used has been to split the evaluation into several strands, which provide added value during the project as well as evaluating it longitudinally. Firstly, the partnership has been involved at all stages to review, evaluate and modify the draft materials internally. Secondly, an independent external evaluation on how the partnership has been working thus far during the project has been carried out and the report of the external evaluator is available on the project website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Evaluation. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. Further evaluation will be carried out shortly by participants in the assessor and adviser training courses, which will give valuable feedback and assist us in ongoing refinement of the materials.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies Dissemination and exploitation of the work so far has been internal to the project participants, with useful input into research and general guidance from stakeholders. Our project plans for this are covered in more detail in section 5, Plans for the Future.
NADSME, Slovakia At the beginning NADSME would like to present our enthusiasm about the approval of the project. We feel that the successful implementation of the project’s objectives will be definitely the contribution for whole European Union and its members. The common European quality standards for education of SMEs employees are not present at all in our countries. According to the results of the research in Slovakia, for example, 82% of consultant agencies and business support organisations think that we need standards of competence for trainers. At the first Partners Meeting everybody had the opportunity to get to know each other and to establish common cooperation. Every partner is active. All of us are aware of the need of common quality standards for education of the people working with SMEs. Due to this fact, everybody is keen on the project activities. Step by step we are getting the fruit of our cooperation. The proposals for the standards are improved by common discussion among specialists from each organisation. For us it is very important that non-EU countries were also involved in the project. From our point of view it’s a very positive act if we involve those countries as well. They can bring other specific and perspective views and let us know how things are working outside of the EU area. We think it helps us not to be closed and reserved in our way of developing ideas. We would say that it supports our open–mindedness in thinking about new challenges as well. The project started on time and we continue exactly on time with the plan of the workflow stipulated at the beginning. The role of each NADSME member included is clear. At this time we are entering the most important phase of the project. We are choosing partners who could in the future cover activities arising from project activities. For achievement of our project goals we need skilled and educated people. This is a crucial factor for the success of the project’s objectives and implementation.
CCIT, Spain
The project approach for us has been in accordance with the project workpackages: • To discuss the project plan with our local providers of support and training to SMEs and other key stakeholders, and gather their support and their input to the project’s developments, through the development of a Stakeholder Forum. To input to the development of quality standards and training materials through our local research, through partner meetings as well as through ongoing e-mail and telephone communications. To take responsibility for the translation of quality standards and training materials into our local language To pilot the quality frameworks and training materials which the project will develop with a small number of local SME centres In addition to host one of the partner meetings, which took place at Toledo in May 2008.
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The first phase for the project was the Research Phase which introduced the partners in the project and explained as necessary how the work of the partners involved is coordinated and monitored. This first meeting was in the UK, in which we covered the topics of introducing
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies each project member, scoping and agreeing the delivery of workpackages in detail, agreeing upon the output details, agreeing on common communication protocols for coordination and monitoring and reporting, and finally understanding the EU funding and matching requirements, and all other administrative requirements. This first meeting also required partners to identify and talk with a sample of local SME support centers in the region or country. The second phase of the project was the Stakeholder Forum made up of the key players that had emerged in the course of the research. The two-day meeting in Toledo, Spain represented the end of the Research Phase and the point in which agreements were made as to the materials which are to be developed. Here was discussed the research carried out by all partners, and the overview of scope and content based on all this partner work which had been compiled. We agreed the overall shape of the materials to be developed and the detailed distribution of tasks among the partners, the draft evaluation methodology developed and agreement/commitment as to how this will work in practice, and finally revisited the administrative requirements and a firming up of partner understanding. The third phase involved feedback to the Stakeholder Fora of the materials developed to date and making any immediate refinements that are required. The Fora are committed to the standard and the quality assurance process, as well as seeing the training materials as being a logical and effective way of improving the competencies and quality of the relevant individuals and centers. This meeting was held for two days in Bratislava and covered areas reviewing and confirming the competency standards that have been developed and the detailed training materials, preparing for the submission of an interim report at twelve months after the beginning project, and detailed planning for the piloting phase that follows.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
During this project period, our staff became better acquainted with the project and the relevant obligations for each member of the team. This period was also the time for education and accumulation of experience for our team working on the project activities, gaining more skills and knowledge regarding the BSOs training programs’ content and the preparation of the project reports. The project management also improves the capabilities of our experts in networking and collaborating with different partners from abroad. The participation of BSMEPA in the present project is of great importance for business support policies in Bulgaria, because there are no existing quality standards for trainers at national level and there are no official registers of advisers/coachers available in Bulgaria. Research on BSO services in Bulgaria was carried out and the questionnaire was sent out to 20 organisations. Of the 20 organisations surveyed, not all of them sent back the requested information, and this is assumed to be due to a reluctance to share internal information. At the same time almost all Bulgarian advisors confirm that there is a need of standards for this sector. The conclusion we have drawn from this fact is that we need to stimulate the interest among their clients - the SME managers - towards services provided by organisations and individuals holding international quality and capacity standards. In order to meet this demand, we expect more and more service providers will wish to become assessors of standards for BSOs. This will result in an increase in the number of SMEs with successful project applications to different grant schemes and will raise the level of their competitiveness. In this aspect the dissemination of information of the project and the training materials is of great importance for the sustainability of the results.
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3.
Project Outcomes & Results
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
The project outcomes to the end of October have been as planned in the workpackages and we are pleased to report that the project is exactly on track, and indeed slightly ahead on one area of activity. In general terms this reporting period has resulted in development of the training materials and standards which are ready and approved for use in the next phase. Please note that accessing the project website referenced below requires a password, which has been supplied in section 8 of the Confidential part of this report. The workpackages which were to be completed by this point in the project are shown below with their workpackage reference numbers. They are: MNGT (ref 1) – Hold partner meeting 1 in Hatfield, UK This took place on 28 and 29 January 2008 and the meeting minutes are available at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Meetings/Partner-Meeting-1/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. RES (ref 2) - Research existing standards RES (ref 3) - Engage with SME support centres RES (ref 4) - Engage with government RES (ref 5) - Discuss with national/professional bodies RES (ref 6) - Develop wider stakeholder forum All these workpackages formed part of the research phase. This research has been done in each partner country and the results are shown on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 7)- Draft scope and content overview This has been done, and the scope and framework were submitted to partners for comments on 30 May 2008 and are on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Research/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. QPLN (ref 8) - Draft evaluation methodology This was completed early in the project and the first stage of the evaluation work to be done (the external evaluation of the partnership and effectiveness of the ongoing project activity) was offered for tender on 30 June 2008. The tenderer selected was Aegis Management Services; their evaluator attended the Bratislava partner meeting on 19 September and conducted the evaluation with project partners. The completed evaluation report can be seen at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Evaluation/.The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. MNGT (ref 9) - Hold partner meeting 2 in Spain This took place on 12 and 13 May 2008 and the minutes can be seen at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Meetings/Partner-meeting-2/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
PREP (ref 10) - Draft detailed standards This has been done, the partners provided feedback at each stage of drafting to refine the standards and all the published drafts can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Research/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
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PREP (ref 11) - Develop draft training materials This has been done, and the drafts of the training materials were discussed and refined at the partner meeting in Bratislava on 18 & 19 September. PREP (ref 12) - Discuss with stakeholders Discussions have taken place during the course of the project at various points with stakeholders across the partner countries. These discussions were not formally minuted but have been very useful in clarifying market needs and informing the revisions to drafts and methodologies. MNGT (ref 13) - Hold partner meeting 3 and stakeholder forum in Slovakia This took place on 18 & 19 September and the minutes of the meeting, and the stakeholder forum can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/PartnerArea/Meetings/Partner-Meeting-3/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 14) - Pilot with SME centres The confidential part of this interim report shows that this is a workpackage which deviates from the original plan. In the original plan for this workpackage it was envisaged that a pilot would take place with various BSOs at this stage of the project. As the project progressed it was decided by the partners that this would be better accomplished, and with more value added, if it formed part of the work assigned to assessors and advisers of the standards. Of course, this required the assessors and advisers to be identified and trained in advance of the BSO pilot. The development of training materials has taken this into account, so that part of the assessor/adviser training course will include practising this dry-run pilot (see PREP ref 15 below.) PREP (ref 15) Complete draft training pack and translation This has been completed and sent to partners for translation in advance of the first assessor and adviser training courses beginning in December 2008. The materials can be seen on the website at: http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Partner-Area/Training-Materials/. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report. PREP (ref 16) Identify and train local advisers and assessors How to select appropriate people in each partner country was discussed at the Bratislava meeting. All partners have identified the relevant number of attendees for the first training sessions, which have been scheduled for December 2008. Further information is provided at section 5, Plans for the Future and the training schedule can be viewed on the website at http://www.exemplas.com/Odessa/Project-News. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report.
PREA (ref 20) - Draft model for assessment network This model has been drafted in advance of the expected time, and was presented to partners for refinement at the meeting in Bratislava on 18 & 19 September 08. When redrafted it will be placed on the project website. In our plans for this project we stated that we would assess our progress against the following criteria at this interim stage in the project: • • • Completion of the research phase to time and credibility of the research outcomes Establishment of local Stakeholder Fora in each partner’s area to time Development and acceptance by stakeholders of the proposed quality standards, QA framework and associated training materials
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies • Submission by partners to the lead partner of realistic claims at agreed stages and completion of good quality reports at the mid point.
We are very pleased to report that these criteria have all been met and we regard the progress of this project to be absolutely on track at this point.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
The first partner meeting in the UK established the foundation of the communication and collaboration between the project partners, who were introduced to the project details. The lead organization Exemplas Holdings Ltd provides regular assistance to the partners in their activities related to the project implementation and helps us in better understanding the guidelines of the project management, which is very useful for our participation. After the partners’ meeting BSMEPA identified reliable partners in Bulgaria, providing services to SMEs, who could be interested in participating in the project. We studied the BSO services in terms of content and coverage, skills and experience of their staff, their requirements from their experts, etc. The most reliable organisations were introduced to the goals of the project and the possibilities for collaboration. Exemplas Holdings Ltd prepared and sent a questionnaire and the core text, which were translated into Bulgarian and disseminated between local business service providers. Our team received answers to the questionnaire from Bulgarian CCI, The Association of Regional Development Agencies, RDA, Sofia University and The Postgraduate institute. They were analyzed and summarized and then sent to Exemplas Holdings Ltd. The results of the research in each country were discussed at the second partner meeting in Toledo, Spain. An overview of the planned scope and content of the new standards was presented by the lead partner and the tasks were distributed. The participants also received very useful information about some administration arrangements like EU finance and admin rules, contracting, reporting, etc. Exemplas Holdings Ltd created timesheets and claim forms on the basis of their previous experience. The draft framework of the standards was sent by Exemplas Holdings Ltd to all partners. BSMEPA involved people from different divisions of governmental institutions and NGOs to participate in the discussions and invited them to make proposals for their adjustment according to the local requirements. This stage of the project engaged more participants and led to the development of a national stakeholders forum, which had a positive impact also on the general functionalities of BSMEPA. The project handbook, released in this period and the methodology elaborated by Exemplas Holdings Ltd were very helpful for us and make us believe that the project will be well accepted and will become more popular from now on in Bulgaria.
NADSME, Slovakia
The project started with the first Partners Meeting in the UK. During this meeting, professional interpersonal relationships were established and initial problems were discussed. Subsequently research into existing quality standards was carried out. This crucial step showed the absence of standards to which SME trainers/advisers and local SME centres are working in the post-socialist countries. 70.8% of the labour force in Slovakia is employed by SMEs. Small and medium enterprises contribute almost 70% of GDP in EU. All these facts are supporting the need to adopt the common quality standards for education of SMEs managers. Thanks to this project co-financed by EU we will be able to bridge this gap. First of all we were able to establish functional cooperation with our partners. We are sharing information and our activities are coordinated. This fact ensures that the result of the work will be applicable at international level. Each member of the partnership brings their own
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies perspective to the original proposals. Drafts are being refined and changed according to these particular specific comments. The results of the research of every country had been presented at the Second Partners Meeting in Toledo, Spain. Afterwards the work started on the process of development of standards and the methodology for assessment. At NADSME we were able to involve people from different departments to work on the project together. Everybody has his/her clear role. With the third Partners Meeting in Bratislava, organized by NADSME, we entered the most important phase of the project agenda. All partners, except ADICOE representatives, could attend this two–day meeting. In Bratislava we discussed the main points of project matters. Every question and problem could be discussed among all of us. Within the meeting a Stakeholders Forum was held too. The representatives from Slovak institutions such as The Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and Academia Istropolitana all attended and talked with all partners. They were proud of being invited to our international event and having the opportunity to represent their professional opinion. We have been given valuable advice and external opinions from lifelong–learning specialists. Furthermore some of them have expressed interest in participating with our Consortium in the following project phases. The promotion of the project to other organisations has been started in this way also. During the project time–period, a project manager has left NADSME, so the agenda of the project was transferred to a newcomer at the Agency. However the continuity of the project has not been disrupted at all. The effectiveness of the project administration work in the early stages would have been better if we could have had all documents available for us to use on time. The submission of documents should have been done quarterly, but due to late delivery of templates from EU we have been doing costs statement for 9 months at once. However this little issue has been resolved and now we are up to date with all administration concerns too. We feel the opportunity to create educational quality standards could be utilized for more widespread use under an effrctive franchising strategy in the future as well. Hence this will be addressed in later project activity and the procedure will be coordinated with all partners. CCIT, Spain The outcomes and results from the first reporting period are now published. Our aim now reflects the next task for our project, and that is to have the companies in our area become familiar with the standards via the new BSO and SME trainers or assessors, to verify if we are meeting the potential of what we set out to do in our last meeting in Bratislava. We want to implement the four principles and have the assessors make this possible.
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4.
Partnerships
Exemplas Holdings Ltd, UK
Added Value The partnership development of the ODESSA training materials and standards will create a widespread platform of achievement for BSOs and BSIs, where standards do not exist or are fragmented. Rolled out at the European level, this is important because it promotes the notion of the EU as the level at which the quality of SME support should be managed and quality assured. Building a co-operative partnership between national and regional SME agencies is a powerful tool to develop EU-wide economic development, rather than focussing solely on national or regional development which may advantage one area but not assist the neighbouring region/country. As other nations/regions adopt and roll out the standards after the project’s completion, that partnership will be significantly extended. Raising the level of SME training and support across the EU, with an initial focus on Central and Eastern Europe, will facilitate the mobility and growth of SMEs within the Union, who will recognise the standards as a guarantee of good quality SME support wherever they are implemented. Encouraging greater uptake of learning and development by SME managers will improve the workings of the SME economy and aid EU economic development in this important sector. Working together in partnership The strong partnership established from the start of this project has given significant added value in this project. Creating training based upon a set of standards which must be accessible and acceptable to our different countries, all having very varied situations in their current markets for business support, has raised the bar for all partners and enabled us to take a wide view of what can and should be put in place. For example, in the UK a lot of standards for training already exist but there is confusion amongst users about the best and most useful to adopt (as well as some gaps in the provision), but in Slovakia there is an identified absence of such standards. It is immensely valuable to experience such a wide range of current situations and only with broad-based support from such different countries can we have confidence that the training and standards will be useful and applicable to the rest of the EU in future. There is also a significant benefit in working with such well-placed partners. Exemplas Holdings Ltd is involved in managing almost a quarter of all centrally funded SME support in the UK, whilst NADSME and BSMEPA are the national agencies for SME support in Slovakia and Bulgaria respectively. Our perspective is widened by the Spanish partner, CCIT, working directly in the provision of support and training and therefore extremely well placed to comment on the “ease of use” – the applicability and workability - of such materials and standards. Our Swiss and Abu Dhabi silent partners are also extremely helpful to the project, both because of their expertise in other commercially widespread standards such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (Business Excellence Model) and BS EN ISO-9000, and for their expertise in national quality standards for trainers. Having these partners involved in the project is enabling the development of training and standards which are sufficiently stretching and rigorous to be worthwhile, whilst being clear and accessible to users as well as specialists.
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Exemplas Holdings Ltd has been very happy to provide effective administration support to the partners who have, in this interim report as well as the evaluation report and in many informal communications, expressed their satisfaction at the quality of support from the lead partner. Partnerships with stakeholders and users The research phase of the project has created a community of interested parties via the stakeholder fora and the people contacted during the research. All partners identify that their wider networks of contacts will be keen to hear more about the training standards and with the project progress being on track, our pilots of the first BSOs and BSIs working to achieve the standards will begin in December 08 and January 09. We expect this will create a momentum amongst the target users and that communication of the benefits will start to spread by word of mouth, even though the dissemination workpackages are still many months away.
NADSME, Slovakia
NADSME strongly appreciates cooperation with all of the members of our partnership. Exemplas Holdings Ltd, as the effective lead partner, coordinates all partners’ activities and effectively harmonizes all our functions. The communication is fluent and all unclear concerns are discussed and receive a prompt response. In particular we would like to emphasize the importance of the cooperation with partners outside EU (ADICOE – Abu Dhabi, SVEB – Switzerland). NADSME feels a strong opportunity and a new challenge in this cooperation with non–EU countries. Participants from Switzerland and Abu Dhabi bring different and very valuable points of view. For us it can be the base for a further cooperation in other projects as well. In our Stakeholders Forum we have an example of a partnership established with a wider group which appreciated being invited to participate and having the opportunity to represent their professional opinion. We gained valuable advice and external perspective from these specialists, some of whom expressed interest in participating with our Consortium and promoting the ODESSA standards to others in the following project phases.
BSMEPA, Bulgaria
Partnership in the process of the project implementation has a crucial role for the participation of BSMEPA. Thanks to the effective coordination and advice provided by the leading partner, our staff can more easily handle the tasks related to the project. All our questions and comments were followed by immediate responses on behalf of Exemplas Holdings Ltd with appropriate help and explanations. In addition the information shared between all partners can be used to identify the best approach for project implementation in the different countries. In the course of the joint participation in this project new prospects could be identified for achieving further results and for new projects as per the specific needs of the region and the EU policies.
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Operational Development for Europe’s SME Support Agencies CCIT, Spain For CCIT, it is their first time participating in a project that gives the opportunity to work with institutions from other countries in the European Union specifically in the area of training and employment. With the integration of other countries, they are pleased to be able to exchange information, learn other strategies and methods of training, participate in the design of new processes and tools and pilot them so that they benefit the companies that participate in the project, and later the region and their own country.
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5.
Plans for the Future
The plans for the remaining project work are of particular interest, as until now the partners’ work has been mainly in research and development. As we move into the next workpackages the activity and effects will spread as pilots begin across the project partner countries in December 08 and January 09. The plans for the next activities are as follows: • Carry out training of assessors and advisers who will go on to run local pilots with selected BSOs and BSIs to achieve the standards (timetable for the training can be viewed on the project website at http://www.Exemplas.com/ODESSA/Project-News. The password to access this website can be found in section 8 of the confidential part of this interim report Initial feedback and evaluation by participants of the training packs will be used to improve the training materials and further training packs to support BSIs and BSOs to reach the standard required for them The assessment methodology will be used as part of the pilots and we will be enabled to refine it based on real-life tests The assessment network model will be redrafted based on feedback from the partners at the Bratislava meeting and feedback from the new assessors and advisers about aspects which will affect them in operating the assessment model Franchising strategy for the standards and training materials will be researched and developed into a draft for presenting to partners Branding/promotional strategy for the products will be created as well as a promotional website Planning for the dissemination conference Fourth partner meeting in France, at which outcomes of the pilots, agreement as to any final refinements required to the standards and the training materials, plans for the dissemination conference, other dissemination work, franchising and branding plans will all be covered Full final packs of all products will be created and translated Evaluation of the project’s success will take place.
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As lead partner Exemplas Holdings Ltd is particularly responsible for looking long-term at the overall project work and ensuring all partners are able to carry out the various activities at the right time. Other partners are keen to plan and engage in the future activity by principally looking at the specific activity in each workpackage, for example CCIT in Spain expressed their view of immediate future activity thus: • • • To first and foremost inform the companies about the main points of the Four Principles in the Odessa standard To apply the norms of the Four Principles by training and educating individuals and businesses To follow up with the next phases by selecting five SME centres, having the assessor make reports on any shortcoming, and agree with the advisors an action plan for each center and each individual to raise their performance to the level required by the standards.
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6.
Contribution to EU policies
This project contributes to several key EU policies, objectives and priorities, as follows: Lisbon LIS-D16 – this project is, by creating learning materials about standards for trainers and advisers of SMEs, setting up a framework which will encourage more SME managers to engage in vocational training from suitably qualified trainers. LIS-E19 and LIS-F22 - because this project will provide better access to high quality training and advice for SME managers typically aged over 25 who do not possess high levels of education. Key Competency KC7: Entrepreneurship - this project supports KC7 because the framework and materials will be tightly focussed on advisers and trainers giving improved support and training to SMEs, providing SME managers with greater entrepreneurial skills. LLP Horizontal Policy Code C - Promoting equality and combating discrimination horizontal policy This project supports this policy because the standards and materials developed, and training delivered, underpin, reflect, and promote the horizontal policy of equality. In addition, the advisers and trainers participating in the ODESSA standards will in turn improve participation in training by SME managers, increasing their awareness of the importance of diversity within their workforces, as well as their knowledge of employment legislation to underpin equal opportunities. Complementarity Education and Training 2010 Work Programme: Enterprise Education and Training 2010 Work Programme: Employment This project supports the above programmes because the ODESSA quality frameworks and training materials will result in improved enterprise training, which will in turn result in better performing SMEs, able to offer more employment opportunities.
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