COVID-19 is transforming the world and no socio-economic models from the past can give examples, lessons learned and solutions to move forward. Post-pandemic Europe will be a post-disaster rehabilitation: COVID-19 is tantamount to a war, as expressed by many heads of state: > “COVID is Germany's biggest challenge since World War 2” German Chancellor Merkel > “We are at war against the virus” French President Macron > EU Parliament resolution 17 April “this is a moment of truth for the Union that will determine its future” With 43,150,456 cases and 1,155,284 deaths globally (as of October 26, 2020) and 6,077,377 cases and 209,542 deaths in the EU/EEA and UK, COVID-19 IS A CATASTROPHE (surce: EU Centre for Disease Prevention & Control, as of Oct. 26, 2020). The impact on the economy is unknown, but it is going to be huge: > EU Commission estimates 2.5% reduction in 2020 real GDP, with PARTIAL or NO RECOVERY in 2021 > OECD forecasts: - 25% decline in output - 35% drop in consumers’ expenditure - 2% decline in GDP for each month of containment measures > WTO expects global merchandise trade to shrink 32% in 2020 Nobody knows what the impact will be on the real economy, and the most vulnerable are the Small/Medium Enterprises: a March 27 OECD Report “COVID & SME Policy Responses” indicated that the impact on EU SMEs is already strong. A survey of Polish SMEs shows: 30% of SMEs feared a decrease in sales and worker availability in the next 3 months 40% experienced increased costs and reduced sales 27.5% already having cash flow problems The VET system is not equipped with relevant training resources, solutions and courses to accompany European SMEs in the “post-pandemic business environment” that will require new ways of doing business, new models of entrepreneurship, new business models, revenue streams, communication and customer services, profitability, etc. TARGET GROUPS & NEEDS Post-pandemic EU economy will be uncertain and volatile: neither the entrepreneurship support nor the VET systems will be ready to cope with the challenge and provide suitable and operational guidance, tools and training in response to the crisis. SMEs will need innovative and relevant training that will take into account the renovated risks and will empower them to face the new challenges as well as to reap the benefits stemming from new opportunities. SMEs will need new skills, competences and operational tools to better operate (or simply operate) in a new business environment. RESULTS ESMERALD provides tangible and timely training solutions to those needs as it will: 1. Develop a OER platform to deliver the ESMERALD training to SMEs and VET providers in eLearning and blended modalities (IO1) 2. Take stock of the actual impact of COVID-19 on the real economy, map the specific impact on SMEs, screen policy and industry response to pinpoint the specific needs of SMEs in post-pandemic economy. IO2 is perfectly timed as it will start in November 2020, when the pandemic will slow and the economy restart. This is also the moment in which the real impact can be assessed, as well the renovated challenges and training needs of SMEs. Also, this is when policy response initiatives will also kick-in. 3. Develop the ESMERALD training on innovative business models and entrepreneurial skills and competences for SMEs to strive in post-pandemic economy. The training will be made available for FREE and Open Access in 6 languages to enhance replicability, sustainability and impact. 4. Develop guidelines to promote the adoption and use of ESMERALD in all entrepreneurship support and VET systems possible across EU 5. Advance evidence-based policy making for SME resilience with the ESMERALD Manifesto as a policy input for decision makers. PARTICIPANTS of ESMERALD are 7 partners from 6 countries, representing the various facets of SME’s competitiveness and entrepreneurship. Partners are large, small, formal and non-formal training providers along the entire chain of VET (from Initial to Higher) as well as NGOs, Think Tanks and private sector. Moreover, 120 target groups are involved at implementation in validation activities, more than 5,000 people at exploitation level and almost 170.000 people at dissemination level IMPACT ESMERALD’s innovative, relevant and timely training courses, contents and topics will match the new training needs of SMEs in post-pandemic business environment; hence, our project will produce the following short- and medium-term impact: A) SMEs have access to relevant and timely training to enhance their resilience and competitiveness in post-pandemic uncertain economy B) VET System has access (without limitation and for free) to innovative and multilingual training designed to respond to the needs of SMEs according to the post-COVID specific issues and challenges C) ESMERALD also feeds into evidence-based policy making with the first analysis of real impact of pandemic to SMEs and identifies SMEs’ resilience features
The goal of our consortium was to provide support and guidance to MSMEs grappling with the significant changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to achieve the following 4 key results: 1. Development of the ESMERALD open educational resource platform: it serves as the central repository for the ”Micro and SME COVID Response Toolkit”. 2. Creation of a comprehensive report on the impact of COVID-19 on Micro and SMEs: We sought to assess crisis and risk management solutions that could strengthen the resilience of SMEs to external shocks such as a pandemic. This report is a key part of the toolkit. 3. Providing training modules for SMEs: Using insights from the report and the toolkit, we sought to deliver innovative training modules for SMEs. 4. Developing ESMERALD Guidelines and Manifesto: We sought to develop guidelines to encourage the adoption and use of ESMERALD in business support and vocational education and training (VET) systems across Europe. In addition, we created the so-called ESMERALD Manifesto to inform policymakers by providing factual evidence for policy-making in support of SMEs during and after the pandemic.
The global shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted our consortium to initiate the ESMERALD project. The impact of the pandemic crossed social and economic boundaries - there was no precedent in history that we could build on. Estimates from institutions and reputable organizations such as the European Commission, the OECD, the WTO and the IMF predicted a significant drop in GDP, trade volume and overall economic growth. This unprecedented situation meant a huge, still largely undetermined impact on the economy. Micro and small / medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) were unanimously identified as the most vulnerable to economic risks. A series of reports and surveys revealed the harsh reality already faced by SMEs across Europe. Surveys among Polish SMEs pointed to rising costs, reduced sales and anticipated labor shortages. Against this troubling backdrop, our consortium came together, driven by an urgent need for action. The ESMERALD project was designed in response to the said challenges, providing useful guidance, tools and training to these vulnerable businesses. Our ultimate goal was to increase their resilience and adaptability in the face of such unprecedented adversity.