SMEs are important within Europe’s economy. In 2019, SMEs in the EU-28 NFBS accounted representing almost all EU-28 NFBS sector enterprises (99.8%); and slightly less than three-fifths (56.4%) of the value added generated by the NFBS. The competitiveness of Europe’s SMEs needs to be improved especially through the digital transformation of enterprises. Research shows that SMEs lag in digitalisation. Digital diffusion tends to be lower in smaller firms as they face more difficulties in undertaking the complementary investments in skills and organisational changes that are needed to adopt and benefit from technology. This Erasmus+ project, Project On-Time and On-Budget (PRONTO) will focus on two specific questions: (1) how to support the VET sector to be better equipped to meet the demands of the digital era and (2) how to support enterprise and entrepreneurship to improve competitiveness and performance. The project will result in the development and deployment of high quality, innovative work-based VET within the context of helping entrepreneurs to implement high impact, results-focused business improvement projects. The aim is to identify the lessons from this project which will be implemented in the context of VET teacher/trainers engaged in entrepreneurship training and to share these lessons with the wider VET sector and other stakeholders. PRONTO will (1) support the continuous professional development of VET teacher/trainers in the use of digital technology and (2) upskill entrepreneurs in the use of digital technology in their enterprise. The long-term aim of PRONTO is to improve the performance of Europe’s SMEs through the development of a network of VET teacher/trainers supporting SMEs to improve business performance using a new VET performance tool called PRONTO. PRONTO’s objectives are: 1. To develop a new VET tool (PRONTO) and learning portal designed to help entrepreneurs and managers to implement business performance improvements; 2. To train 14 VET teacher/trainers in the use and delivery of PRONTO, ultimately leading to a European network of Approved PRONTO trainers; 3. To inspire managers and entrepreneurs from SMEs in IT, UK, PT, NL EL and ES and other countries to use the PRONTO VET tool and learning portal 4. To raise awareness of VET stakeholders responsible for increasing the competitiveness and performance of SMEs of the PRONTO VET tool and methodology This will be achieved through the development of a new project management methodology and on-line tool (PRONTO) designed to enable managers and entrepreneurs from SMEs to deliver business improvement projects on time and on budget. PRONTO will provide a step-by-step project management methodology and training course specifically for managers and entrepreneurs from SMEs. It will enable users to create project plans in 30 minutes or less using the 30-minute ready-to-use PRONTO project plans leading to concrete results and improved performance. Partners will also develop a series of digital Learning Journeys about how to execute high impact business projects, and an e-book, ‘A Guide to Effective Business Projects which will be used to showcase how the effective digital technology and tools in business. In the longer-term, the PRONTO partners will develop a network of VET teacher/trainers supporting SMEs to improve business performance using a new VET performance tool called PRONTO.
The PRONTO project aims were: (1) To develop a new VET tool (PRONTO) and learning portal designed to help entrepreneurs and managers to implement business performance improvements; (2) To train 14 VET teacher/trainers in the use and delivery of PRONTO, ultimately leading to a European network of Approved PRONTO trainers; (3) To inspire managers and entrepreneurs from SMEs to use the PRONTO VET tool and learning portal; (4) To raise awareness of the PRONTO VET tool and methodology amongst VET stakeholders responsible for increasing the competitiveness and performance of SMEs. PRONTO set out to impact on five different target groups via dissemination and pilot activities plus a series of Multiplier Events - (1) VET teacher/trainers; (2) Learners from SMEs; (3) VET/HE/FE Centres; (4) Partners and their own teacher trainers; (5) the European business community; and (6) VET Policy stakeholders. PRONTO exceeded many of its objectives and targets despite the challenges presented by the COVID19 travel and social distancing restrictions. As part of Intellectual Output 1, partners: (1) Developed a detailed specification for the new innovative PRONTO methodology and on-line platform. (2) Built and tested the on-line PRONTO platform with learners from SMEs and then improved the platform based on feedback from learners and teacher/trainers. (3) Published the PRONTO Handbook supported by a PRONTO toolkit comprising nine practical tools. These resources were made available in each language. The test piloting of PRONTO products involved 170 individuals representing SMEs, VET centres and teacher/trainers. As part of Intellectual Output 2, partners: (1) Published a set of four practical Leaning Journeys (Learning Journey 1 - Introduction to Business Improvement Projects, Learning Journey 2 - Identifying Opportunities for Business Improvement Projects, Learning Journey 3 - Begin with the End in Mind: Project Planning, Learning Journey 4 - Implementing and Monitoring Business Innovation Projects. (2) Researched and published 13 case studies showcasing Technology Enhanced Learning. (3) Developed and delivered a VET training course for teacher/trainers and a learner induction course completed by 14 teacher/trainers and 35 learners. (4) Published a PRONTO e-book called ‘A Handbook: Effective Business Improvement Projects Using the PRONTO’. As part of Intellectual Output 3, partners: (1) Published a how to guide called ‘Technology Enhanced Learning Policy and Implementation Guide’ supported by a set of six practical step-by-step, TEL how to checklists. (2) Developed their own TEL policy and strategy for implementation post project, thereby sustaining the impact of the project. Note: Most of the products and resources were also translated into partner languages to make them readily accessible. The project aims and results were shared with 25K stakeholders representing each of the target groups, by carrying out over 120 different dissemination activities – this is substantially more than planned in the project application. Partners have implemented plans to further develop and to continue using PRONTO not only within their own organisations, but with other organisations as well. As part of the Project Management and Implementation, partners: - Undertook general day-to-day management and coordination of the project - Set up and up-dated the collaboration portal (FREEDCAMP) - Prepared a project handbook and financial reporting processes/templates - Liaised with the National Agency including contracting, submitting interim and final project reports and updating Erasmus portals - Prepared and issued partner agreements - Participated in TPMs and drafted minutes detailing specific actions - Prepared quality and progress reports - Developed the project's sustainability strategy and made payments to partners in-line with the NA payment plan. - Participated in evaluation activities - Completed biannual financial reporting activities and progress reports.
Having taught project management to senior managers and directors of medium and larger enterprises, ETA recognised a need existed among smaller enterprises but not for the more sophisticated types of project management used within larger enterprises. This prompted ETA to conduct market research with business start-ups and smaller enterprises by speaking to owner/managers and entrepreneurs about their needs. ETA wanted to find out how smaller enterprises could be helped to make better use of digital technology to improve productivity and performance. After the initial research carried out with local smaller enterprises in the UK, ETA reach out to like-minded VET organisations engaged in entrepreneurship training in other countries, as potential Erasmus+ partners. This exercise was based on exchange and sharing ideas with around twenty potential project partners in ten different countries – many of these confirmed ETA's observations, hence ETA moved to the next stage - building a partnership and developing the Erasmus+ application. ETA narrowed the twenty potential partners down to four key partners which were the most responsive and interested in the project concept during the consultation phase (i.e. LHF - NL, STP - ES, BEST Cybernetics - EL and MAERA - PT) all of which work with smaller enterprises, providing business training – BEST Cybernetics also specialises in IT project and product development. As the initiator, ETA took the role as applicant and drafted the application considering the contributions of the other four key partners. At this stage, LHF suggested that the partnership would benefit from gaining the insight of two smaller enterprises with an interest in entrepreneurship and Erasmus+ - hence the involvement of ASSET and KK. During the project development, partners determined the project aim and objectives and then decided upon the main target groups: (1) owner/managers and entrepreneurs from smaller enterprises and (2) VET teacher/trainers and participants from smaller enterprises. Partners drafted the project aims and objectives, ensuring that they linked directly to appropriate European themes and Erasmus+ priorities such as 'supporting the up-take of innovative approaches and digital technologies for teaching and learning' and 'entrepreneurship'. During the research stage, ETA and the partners recognised that in addition to the need for owner/managers and entrepreneurs to have a better understanding and use of digital technology, VET teacher/trainers also needed support to help them to develop their understanding of digital technologies to improve the relevance and impact of their VET. This resulted in the second main theme of the project: building the capability of VET teacher/trainers and VET centres, enabling them to deliver engaging Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) courses suitable for today’s aspiring and existing small business enterprises. It was decided that the project should seek to develop a simple, new project management methodology and on-line tool to meet the needs of smaller enterprises. It was also decided the project needed to help drive increased productivity and performance of enterprises as this would be key to the successful up-take of the product. For this reason, the partners decided to focus on the use of a simple project management methodology that enterprises could use to develop and implement business improvement projects. To enable training courses to be delivered in the partner countries, the partners also decided that a training the trainer course was essential to enable VET teacher/trainers to learn about how enterprises can use project management to implement business improvement projects. This also linked with the need for VET centres make more use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). The PRONTO project would therefore directly impact on the continuous professional development of VET teacher/trainers whilst supporting smaller enterprises to face-up to the challenging times resulting from the economic fallout post COVID-19. The PRONTO project was therefore now strongly aligned to the needs set out in numerous European Commission strategies and plans such as 'A Stronger Digital Europe: Our Call towards Action 2025' (Digital Europe: 2019:9); and the Europe Commission’s 'Communication on the Digital Education Action Plan'. The project also supported the need for the VET sector to reflect the wider use of digital technologies as found in business and was well aligned to the European Commission's long term strategies such as the 'New Skills Agenda for Europe' helping to ensure people (VET teacher/trainers, and young entrepreneurs) have the skills necessary for tomorrow's businesses and the challenges of tomorrow's work-place.