Entrepreneurial learning and SMEs Skills

Implementation Plan

Work Programme YeaR 2012

enps-EL-WP12-20-15


0. Summary

With a mandate to promote EU policies in its partner regions, one particular line of ETF’s policy support is providing support on initial and continuous VET, in a LLL perspective, to facilitating adaptation to industrial changes and stimulating cooperation between education and businesses in order to develop employability and labour market relevance.

This orientation is particularly relevant for Southern Mediterranean countries where the current socio-political developments demonstrate the critical importance of a more concerted effort by key stakeholders in addressing unemployment in the context of weak public institutions, limited inclusiveness and accountability in governance. The current changes and possible political transition in some countries offer new opportunities to address these challenges and underline the imperative of more market-responsive education for both economic competitiveness and social equity.

Likewise, the EU is paying an increasing attention to entrepreneurial learning (EL) and skills for SMEs with competiveness and employment concern. This is acknowledged and well documented in the ‘Europe 2020 strategy’ and more specifically in the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) which establishes a comprehensive EL and SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States. The Southern Mediterranean countries are following a quite similar approach in developing EL and skills for SMEs through the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation and the Charter for Enterprises[1].

ETF intervention strategy for 2012 builds on its previous activities in the region, on the Euro-Med industrial cooperation action plan 2011-2012 and will be permanently fine-tuned and adapted to the priorities of partner countries and those set up by the European Union in the area of education, training and employment policies.

The main components of the project intervention in 2012 are as follows:

F1: Support the European Commission:

·  Providing Expertise for DG Enterprise & Industry on entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation

F2: Build capacities:

·  Organising a TAIEX Capacity Building seminar on how to make the stakeholders in SEMED countries familiar with policy guidelines of the Euro-Med charter for enterprise on HC dimensions, in order to ameliorate policy analysis and benchmarking on EL and SMEs skills.

F3: Policy analysis

·  In close cooperation with DG-ENT ensuring the assessment process on dimension 2 “Entrepreneurial learning” and dimension 3 “Improved skills for SMEs” for at least 4 countries in 2012 (the rest will be done in 2013).

F4: Disseminate and exchange information

·  Exchanging on trends in entrepreneurial learning and skills for SMEs, in the context of the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative (MBDI) and other initiatives organised by the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat as well as other international organisations

1.  Background

1.1.  Providing Expertise for DG Enterprise on EL and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation working party:

In 2011, ETF has actively participated to the overall Euro-Med working party meetings and to the Ministerial conference in Malta and had provided substantial inputs to the meetings and to the 2011-2012 Work Programme. The 4 areas of actions of the 2011-2012 Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation Work Programme[2] are as follows:

·  Implement the Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise

·  Learn from each other at Euro-Med level (capacity building seminars, input good practices into the database etc.)

·  Monitor and Evaluation of the progress at national and regional levels

·  Adapt the Charter to the SBA (new indicators proposed by ETF, SED new dimension etc.)

The ETF will continue providing support services to DG Enterprise & Industry on EL and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation working party and to answer ad hoc requests. This support will be as follows:

·  Participate to the Euro-Med working party meetings and provide advice and proposals to improve the Euro-Med Charter assessment process, dissemination and reporting as appropriate;

·  Contribute to the implementation of the activities foreseen within the 2011-2012 Work Programme and ensure the dissemination of ETF related developments amongst EU Member States and partner countries;

·  In collaboration with TED (see CoP-EL.IP), continue ensuring inputs to the survey on sustainable enterprise development (SED) in its human capital dimensions, participate to the capacity building seminar to be organised by DG-ENT and provide support for possible development of new related indicators (see CoP-SD.IP);

·  Under the leadership of TED, contribute to the workshop (Laboratories) to be organised by DG-ENT and DG-EaC on teachers training on entrepreneurship as follow-up of Budapest and Istanbul symposia (see CoP-EL.IP);

·  Contribute to laying down the objectives and activities of the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation WP 2013-2014

An identification mission will be also launched in the region by DevCo on how to better support SMEs. In November 2011, the human capital dimensions have been declared by the charter coordinators as a priority for supporting SMEs in the region. This may require also support to EC.

1.2.  Capacity building seminar on how to move forward in EL and SMEs skills (TAIEX instrument)

This activity features in the 2011-2012 Euro-Med Industrial WP as preparatory action for the assessment to be held in 2012-2013. The objective is to make Charter stakeholders in Med countries (ministries, state agencies, business associations) familiar with policy guidelines included in the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise by presenting and discussing case studies illustrating human capital guidelines. After the discussions, the Charter stakeholders should be capable of identifying elements that can be transferred to their countries and that allow to evaluate progress under the Charter using the commonly defined indicators and levels of performance.

The ETF capacity building seminar will be organised under TAIEX instrument and in close collaboration with DG-ENT who will submit the application to TAIEX. The event will take place at the end of the first semester 2012.

The objectives and target groups are as follows:

·  Make Charter stakeholders in Med countries (ministries, state agencies, business associations) familiar with policy guidelines included in the Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise;

·  Present and discuss case studies in entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills illustrating guidelines. After the discussions, the Charter stakeholders should be capable of identifying elements that can be transferred to their countries

·  Explain the evaluation grid to Charter stakeholders so that they can evaluate progress under the Charter using the commonly defined indicators and levels of performance. After receiving the information, the Charter stakeholders should be capable of acting as multipliers and explain stakeholders in their countries how to evaluate progress in implementing the Charter policy guidelines.

·  Explain Charter stakeholders in the countries how they can select and describe good practice in the area of entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills in the Euro-Med good practice database[3];

·  Present existing training material (included in the list of on-line tools ) to Charter stakeholders in entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills areas with a view to facilitating use of training material in the countries.

The activities related to this seminar are as follows:

·  Prepare the agenda, the concept note and the other required documents to be submitted by DG-ENT to TAIEX for approval;

·  In collaboration with DG-ENT and charter coordinators identify the participants and the speakers

·  Organise the seminar and draft & disseminate the conclusions

·  Follow up with the charter coordinators to ensure that participants are acting as multipliers and explain stakeholders in their countries how to evaluate progress in implementing the charter policy guidelines

1.3.  Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise assessment (human capital dimensions)

Adopted in 2004, at ministerial level, the Charter sets out guidelines in ten fields[4] with a view to improving the business climate in the Euro-Med area and making it more uniform. Efforts will primarily seek to exploit the results of past work, maintaining the cooperation and learning momentum and making any changes necessary to meet the specific needs of partner countries and reflect the development of European policies and activities. The Charter is inspired by best-practice from the EU and has been adopted by partner countries as a reference for their reform agendas’. It is important to consolidate the public and private partners’ impetus to improve. This impetus and the underlying mutual obligations are essential to progress with the Charter

The activities within the second assessment exercise will build on the experience and expertise of ETF in the design and application of policy indicators, including assessment process, for entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills under the Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise in 2008. The ETF policy metrics for entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills feature as an integral part of the Euro-Med Charter for enterprise.

In 2012, ETF will undertake assessments in at least 4 participating countries the remaining countries will be covered in 2013. The objective of the assessments aims at supporting the European Commission in it wider policy assessment, benchmarking and policy advice and determining specific lines of action addressing the human capital dimensions of the Charter.

The activities related to the organisation of the bilateral meetings (restitution the external assessment results) and the redaction of the regional report will depend of the other partner organisation (EIB, OECD) and when the partner countries will be ready to start the assessment. So far, October is mentioned as to start the assessment process.

The activities in 2012 would be as follows (TbC):

·  Organise a fact finding mission to at least 4 countries in close collaboration with the CMs and appropriate stakeholders in the country

·  Draft the external assessment related to the indicators of dimensions 2 and dimension 3

·  Follow up with the appropriate stakeholders the internal assessment and ensure comparison and coherence with the external assessment

·  Prepare the bilateral meetings to be held beginning of 2013 in collaboration with DG-ENT and the other partner organisations

The development of new indicators will be decided in close collaboration with DG-ENT in the beginning of 2012.

ETF will propose to cover in 2012 the following partner countries: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and OPT.

1.4.  Share and disseminate ETF approach and activities on EL and SMEs skills

ETF will pursue responding to appropriate ad hoc request for dissemination and exchanges in the field of entrepreneurial learning and skills for SMEs, in the context of the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative (MBDI) project and other initiatives organised by the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat as well as other international organisations.

As member of the UfM SMEs core group, ETF will continue in 2012 participating to the relevant meetings organised in this framework according the need and availability.

ETF will notably participate to the public-private dialogue conference to be organised by the UfM in March 2012 in Barcelona.

This customised support will be ensured in close cooperation with TED department and based on the appropriateness of the intervention and the availability of the ETF concerned staff.

The activities foreseen in 2012 are as follows:

·  Participate to the UfM SMEs core group meetings

·  Ensure inputs to the agenda on public-private dialogue conference organised by UfM and present the E&B study outcomes for SEMED region

·  In collaboration with TED, develop materials for the promotion of ETF approach and initiatives on EL and SMEs skills

2.  Overall Objective

To contribute, with the European Commission services, to the improvement of entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills development frameworks in ETF partner countries.

1.1.  Specifics Objectives

2.1.1 / To provide expertise for DG Enterprise & Industry on entrepreneurial learning and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation and contribute to the implementation of its 2011-2012 WP
2.1.2 / To make Med Charter stakeholders familiar with policy guidelines on human capital included in the Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise
2.1.3 / To support the European Commission it its wider Med countries policy assessment, benchmarking and policy advice
2.1.4 / Share and disseminate ETF approach and activities on EL and SMEs skills with other international organisations and partner countries

3.  Project Approach

3.1.  Target Countries

Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Marocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Tunisia.

3.2.  Target Beneficiaries

X / European Commission
EU Delegation
X / Ministry of Education
Ministry of Labour/Employment/Social affairs
X / Ministry of Industry
Regional and local authorities
Schools and other training institutions
Teachers and Trainers
X / Social partners
Employment offices
X / Business
Donor
NGOs
Other

3.3.  Methodology

The core features of the approach in ETF intervention within this project leans on the ownership and capitalisation by the stakeholders avoiding as far as possible the substitution. The principle for action is that partner countries must own the processes, ETF playing a facilitation and technical support role. Another feature of the intervention approach is to develop synergy with the European Commission, partner countries and other international organisation active in human capital development or interested to cooperate in this field.

Providing Expertise for DG Enterprise on EL and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation working party:

The ETF will continue providing support services to DG Enterprise & Industry on EL and SMEs skills as inputs to the Euro-Med Industrial Cooperation working party and to answer ad hoc requests. This support will be ensured mainly through participation to the Euro-Med working party meetings and provision of advice and proposals to improve the Euro-Med Charter assessment process, dissemination and reporting.

ETF will also ensure the dissemination of ETF developments and initiatives in the field of EL and SMEs skills amongst EU Member States and partner countries participating to these meetings.

TED department will be closely informed and involved in the new thematic areas such as sustainable enterprise development (SED) in order to support these developments.

Capacity building seminar on how to move forward in EL and SMEs skills (TAIEX instrument)

This activity features in the 2011-2012 Euro-Med Industrial WP as preparatory action for the assessment to be held in 2012-2013. The objective is to make Med Charter stakeholders familiar with policy guidelines on human capital included in the Euro-Med Charter for Enterprise.