A CALL FOR GOOD PRACTICE

TRAINING FOR INTERNATIONALISATION OF SMES

WELCOME TO THE WEBINAR

TURIN, 20 SEPTEMBER 2017

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PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS

To ask a question, insert your short text here

Note: this webinar will be recorded

• Provide information on the call

• Answer your questions

• Improve the quality of applications

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WHY THIS WEBINAR?

• Many SMEs do not move beyond local, regional or national markets – training helps build

awareness and skills

• SMEs which operate international markets: more innovative, grow, create jobs

• ETF partner countries: economic convergence, increased trade

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WHY TRAINING FOR SME INTERNATIONALISATION?

TRAINING PROVIDERS

• Business support organisations, Chambers, SME agencies, regional development

agencies

• Public, private, non-profit training organisations

• SMEs that provide in-house training

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES

• 28 ETF partner countries: Central Asia, Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe and

Turkey, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (page 3 of application form)

• 28 EU Member States

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WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

• Improve your training programme

• Increase visibility at EU and national level

• Extend your network amongst training providers

• Receive the ETF good practice insignia

• Note: no allocation of funds or grants

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WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE?

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THE PROCESS

6 October 2017

Round one: October – December 2017

Round two: January – March 2018

From December 2017 – February 2018

Within 3 weeks from peer review completion + site visit

By end of March 2018

May/June 2018 (Turin)

Selection

On-line peer review

Site visits

Notification of good practice awards

Good practice database

Policy-Practice Forum

Award ceremony

Deadline 30 September 2017

The ETF five dimensions to good practice in training

• Training need analysis

• Training design and delivery

• Training environment

• Monitoring, evaluation and improvements

• Marketing

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THE ASSESSMENT

Dimension 1: Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Rationale

A training needs analysis (TNA) ensures that the training programme is designed to meet the specific needs of the target group. A first step in a training programme is to define in concrete terms what

the training requirements are of those who will follow a training programme. This information can also assist the training provider in monitoring market trends. Training needs analysis involves an

examination of skill gaps and weaknesses. Accumulated TNA intelligence can help policymakers address systemic issues for training.

Objective

The objective of this component of the ETF good practice peer review is to determine how well the training needs analysis has been defined as input to the design and execution of a training

programme, including the potential for use in wider policy developments.

Level Value Indicators Score Comments - evidence

Level 1

1

Evidence of proxy-TNA process: data and analysis borrowed from other training environments with risk that training design is less

relevant to local market

1 TNA tools borrowed and not adapted to local training environment

Level 2

2

Evidence of TNA is confined to ad hoc or one-off data/intelligence gathering related to the training provision under review with no defined

plans to update TNA knowledge

2 Evidence that TNA is driven by actors external to the training environment (e.g. donors)

Level 3

3 Clearly defined links between the training provider and private sector for identifying training needs

3 At least one TNA tool (e.g. survey, focus group) exploited for purposes of training design and delivery

3 At least one example that TNA tools and analysis are sensitive to specific target groups (e.g. exporting SMEs)

Level 4

7 TNA reflects scale of training provision in terms of numbers involved in training and geographical spread

7 TNA is core feature of training provider’s business or organisation plan

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At least one example shared which convinces peer reviewers of innovation in the TNA process. Innovation involves any aspect which

brings real added value to the TNA process

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At least one example of an agreement established between training provider and general industry or sector-specific organisation for

training development purposes

Level 5

10 TNA includes analysis of sector trends (trade, turnover, employment, skills) using primary and secondary data.

10

Evidence that TNA intelligence from the project has been provided by training provider for wider policy debate e.g. sector-specific,

government policies (education, training, employment, enterprise, economic development)

10 At least one example shared which convinces peer reviewers of innovative use of technology for TNA process (e.g. e-surveys)

Subtotal dimension 1 :

Expert

comments

The most interesting aspect of the TNA for me was:

My key improvement/recommendation on TNA for the training provider is:

My recommendation for ETF for site visit is:

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THE SCORECARD

• Set of assessment criteria in each of the five

dimensions

• Criteria are grouped in 5 levels

• Each criteria is scored

• Scoring system is exponential

• Need to score 12 points on each dimension

• Need to score total of 60 points

• Star system for outstanding achievements

• 1 star = good practice

• 2 stars = very good practice

• 3 stars = excellent practice

• «Inspiring Practice»

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Questions’ round

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CASE STUDY - BACKGROUND

“SMEPASS II, CROATIA”

• Project developed by Eurecna consortium, funded by the EU (IPA instrument for pre-accession assistance)

• Objective: Increasing competitiveness of Croatian SME’s via provision of advisory services with focus

on two of the core skills required by Croatian sme’s, international marketing and export, and quality

insurance

• Training delivery: coaching, one-to-one training sessions, group lectures, seminars, workshops

• SME’s trained: 150

• Beneficiary: Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Republic of Croatia

• Project duration: 01 July 2013 – 30 June 2015

• Subject areas: Sales and marketing audit, market analysis, product development, export analysis

and planning, e-commerce, branding, international sales & marketing, marketing planning

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CASE STUDY : THE FIVE DIMENSIONS

TNA

• Set eligibility

criteria

• SME selection

• Questionnaires

• Interviews

• Market and

sector analysis

• Close liaison

with authorities

Design and

Delivery

• One-to-one:

Advisory &

coaching

• Group: Lectures,

seminars,

workshops

• Regular

monitoring and

adjusting

Training Environment

• Trainers’ experience

• Marketing and export as core specialisations of training provider

• One-to-one training = SME’s based

• Group training = Lecture rooms based

Monitoring, Evaluation &

Improvements

• Questionnaire

• System in

place to track

program’s

impact on

trainees’

business

• Good practice

dissemintaion

at national

level

• Liaison with

policy makers

Marketing

• Marketing

plan

• Awareness

raising,

dissemination,

PR

• Printed

material

• Website

• Social media

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CASE STUDY : EVALUATION

SME’S COMPETENCIES DEVELOPED: MARKETING & EXPORT

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CASE STUDY : EVALUATION

“MARKETING & EXPORT” SATISFACTION RATINGS

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Questions’ round

• Clear and explicit human capital development: training, self-learning, coaching,

mentoring

• Training should address SMEs that are trading internationally or planning to do so

• Focus must be on trading with the EU single market

• Describe your training programme covering the 5 dimensions: approx. 4 pages in total

• Evidence collection: at application stage – during and after peer review

• Are you ready to share experiences with other training providers?

• One training provider can submit up to two applications covering two different

training programmes

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION

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STAY CONNECTED WITH US

Anthony Gribben

@TonyGribben

Kristien Van den Eynde

@vdekristien

ETF

@etfeuropa

ETF Good practice

database

https://connections.etf.europa.eu/communities/service/

html/communitystart?communityUuid=84c45127-

91d0-4807-8008-ec79aba60b99

EEPGoodPractice@etf.europa.eu