In all Baltic Sea Region countries there is a great shortage of entrepreneurs and managers, thus substantially limiting the growth of SMEs. Also, their innovation is lower than potentially possible and desirable. Due to demographic reasons, this shortage will even severely increase in the future. With the exception of Sweden, the number of young labour force in all Baltic Sea Region countries is expected to be down by 25 % by 2030. Given this strong decline on the one hand and the high obsolescence of the present company owners on the other hand, it is getting increasingly difficult to satisfy the high replacement demand for new entrepreneurs. Furthermore, SMEs generally have very good growth prospects. 85 % of all new jobs in the EU are to be created in SMEs. The number of companies may rise by at least 1% per year, implying a high additional demand for entrepreneurs in addition to the replacement demand. The lack of entrepreneurs is particularly high in countries with predominantly school-based vocational training and a lack of further training. In addition to the high demand for SMEs-entrepreneurs, an at least equally high demand is for managers who, in addition to sound professional and technical qualifications, can offer leadership and managerial skills. SME in countries with school-based vocational training are also urgently in need of staff with educational qualifications and trainer qualifications to accomplish the training within the company, under the dual vocational training model. However, the master craftsman training varies widely among the Baltic Sea Region countries, showcasing varying levels of quality. The project is aimed to train company successors, entrepreneurs and managers in the Baltic Sea Region, based on a comparable high-level master qualification system. Another aim is to increase efficiency and competitiveness of SMEs, while promoting the realization of the dual vocational training. On the basis of the German master craftsman training and the experience of further Baltic Sea Region countries, a concept for a unified master training for the entire Baltic Sea Region will be developed. Field tests of the master’s education are planned in four Baltic Sea Region countries in order to gain experience with different regional / national conditions as well as to ensure high transfer and implementation success. The master training also includes an educational section, which entitles to vocational training in enterprises. Based on official examination regulations, master training is completed with a recognized qualification. The qualification program shall be included in the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and evaluated in accordance with ECVET-based credit points so as to guarantee a cross-border transfer of acquired skills and the international recognition of the qualification. Target groups for the master training program: a) personnel employed in companies. b) unemployed persons with good qualification and experience, which strongly improve their chances on the labour market or persons who aspire self-employment. c) students and graduates who thereby receive a good chance to take on leadership roles in SMEs or to maintain or attain an outstanding preparation for self-employment Beneficiaries are also SMEs, thereby gaining the much needed leaders or company successors. In order to continuously attract qualified lecturers for the implementation of the master training, a training program for trainers will be developed and implemented, which will be offered at universities on a constant basis in the future. The target groups are teachers at chambers, other educational institutions, colleges / universities, who are specifically trained as instructors. All stakeholders involved will benefit from the master training. The project coordinated by the Hanse Parlament consists of 7 chambers, educational institutions, vocational schools and universities from Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Norway. The eight project partners develop, test, evaluate and implement the training measures. Also, 67 chambers of commerce, industry and crafts with their educational institutions, other funding agencies, colleges and universities from 50 regions of 13 countries are involved as associated partners. All project results will be published in a handbook and forwarded to the 67 associated partners, who in their turn, will be assisted with demand-oriented implementation counselling. The results will be presented and discussed in person at five workshops and three international conferences on consulting and knowledge transfer, thus attracting and including other stakeholders, from politics or from the management area. In turn, this may lead to integration of the master training in educational and economic policy, at local, regional and national level and may secure a very high sustainability level and sustainable use of the project results on a large scale.
In all Baltic Sea Region countries there is a great shortage of entrepreneurs and managers, so that growth in SMEs is severely limited and innovation capacity is much lower than it could and should be. For demographic reasons, this shortage will increase sharply in the future. In most Baltic Sea Region countries, the number of younger workers will fall by up to 25% by 2030. In view of this sharp decline on the one hand and the high aging of current company owners on the other, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract enough business successors and start-ups. The shortage of entrepreneurs is particularly noticeable in countries with predominantly school-based vocational training and a lack of further training. In addition to the high demand for entrepreneurs, SMEs also have at least the same demand for managers with sound professional and technical qualifications as well as leadership and management skills. In countries with school-based vocational training to date, SMEs also urgently need personnel with pedagogical qualifications and trainer aptitude in order to carry out training in companies within the dual vocational training. In Germany and Norway, for example, training to become a master craftsman is of outstanding importance in securing the next generation of entrepreneurs and managers in SMEs. However, the qualification level of the master craftsman training varies widely in the Baltic Sea Region countries. The aim of the project was to gain company successors, start-ups and managers by means of a comparable master craftsman qualification at a high level in the Baltic Sea Region, to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of SMEs and at the same time to promote the realisation of dual vocational training. On the basis of the German master craftsman training and experiences from other Baltic Sea Region countries, a concept, curricula, teaching materials and examination regulations for a uniform master craftsman training in the entire Baltic Sea Region were developed. The curricula were tested and evaluated in Denmark, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in order to gain experience with different regional/national conditions and to ensure high transfer and implementation success. The developed master craftsman training also includes a pedagogical part, which leads to an entitlement to vocational training in companies. The qualification programme was classified in the European Qualification Framework and assessed with credit points according to ECVET, so that a cross-border transfer of acquired competences as well as the international recognition of the qualification was ensured. In addition, a comprehensive concept was developed and coordinated in order to enable the integrated attainment of master craftsman qualification and Bachelor's degree within the dual Bachelor's study programmes. Target groups of the master craftsman training are: a) persons employed in companies; b) unemployed persons with good professional qualifications and experience, who use them to significantly improve their chances on the labour market or to become self-employed; c) students and graduates who will have good opportunities to take on management roles in SMEs or who will achieve outstanding preparation for self-employment. Beneficiaries are also SMEs that attract much-needed managers or business successors. In order to constantly attract qualified lecturers to carry out master craftsman training, a training programme for teaching staff has been developed and implemented, which will in future be offered on an ongoing basis by colleges and universities. Target groups are teachers from chambers of commerce, industry and crafts, other vocational training providers, colleges and universities who are specifically qualified as trainers. This benefits all providers of master craftsman training. Under the leadership of the Hanse Parlament, the project consortium consisted of altogether eight partners: chambers, associations, further education institutions, vocational schools and universities from Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Norway. In addition, 68 chambers of commerce, industry and crafts with their educational institutions, other vocational training providers as well as colleges and universities from 13 countries were involved as associated partners. All project results were published in a handbook and transferred to the 68 associated partners, who received needs-oriented implementation advice. The results were presented and comprehensively discussed at meetings and international advisory and transfer conferences. At the same time, politicians, administrations and other stakeholders were involved. This ensured that the master craftsman training in education and economic policy was anchored at local, regional and national level and that the project results were extremely sustainable and used on a broad basis.