The economy of the European Union, as well as UE companies, is a diverse and diversified environment, differing in regulations, practices, and numbers. They are also very dynamic entities that adapt their models, organizational culture and offer to the needs of a changing world. In addition, the effects of COVID-19 pandemic have changed the perceptions of economic recovery, revival and resilience building of SMEs. In 2018, the EU business economy was comprised of almost 25.3 million active enterprises employing over 131 million people. In the same year, 2.5 million start-ups in the EU created almost 3.3 million jobs. According to Eurostat, in 2015 more than 23 million enterprises conducted business activities in the European Union. The European Leader when it comes to business density (measured as the number of businesses per 1,000 inhabitants) is The Czech Republic with 95 companies per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Slovakia (79), Portugal (78), Sweden (70), Slovenia (65), and Ireland (50). The future set of good practices cannot come from one country, as it will not be universal enough to be applied in other countries and their contexts. For this purpose, it is necessary to use the transfer and exchange of experiences between organizations from different EU countries. The participation of international partners will make the following possible: a) preparation, analysis, and identification of case studies based on experience; b) identifying key skills and practices; c) gaining a fresh perspective; d) learning about the EU markets; e) enhancing cooperation between organizations, including building a network of contacts and strong relationships. New development opportunities will be the undoubted benefit of the cooperation between foreign partners. The project in question will allow the leader company to start on a local and international scale with good practice solutions in the field of sustainable development. Similarly, Autpost will be able to develop knowledge and tools in the field of green transformation and sustainable development. The most important aspect is the collaboration of each organization with employers and the business environment – the main recipient of vocational education. The perspective of both partners regarding the developed materials for sustainable development is of key importance. The partners’ experience is complimentary. Projekt Tranów has specialist knowledge of sustainable development and ecological solutions. AUTPOST is an expert in building educational/development paths, ranging from the description of competencies, implementation of training to the evaluation of developmental activities. The possibility of working working together around VET project and its priorities will allow Partners to develop and acquire new skills regarding international projects.
We are working towards results that consist of Activity 1
Official statistics, reports, analyses, and publications will constitute the basis for desk research analysis. Such an analysis is the basis for the development of conclusions on the examined problem. The effect of the desk research analysis includes: finding out the state of the current development of knowledge of company leaders and managers, including SMEs, in the field of sustainable development, characterizing all its component groups, as well as describing and verifying activities undertaken by institutions. In the analysis, we will also use the following source materials: partners’ materials (previous research, internal data), industry studies & press, statistical data. The study will include the analysis of all data available in public circulation (press, books, reports, archives). Much data already exists in a distributed form, generated by different institutions and collected in different places. Additionally, our research will be conducted in the form of interviews, collecting good practices, and expert workshops.
Projekt Tarnów is responsible for task 1.
The research stages:
✅ Stage 1. Desk research analysis in partner countries.
✅ Stage 2. Collection of good practices from the EU in the areas of green transformation.
✅ Stage 3. Online design thinking workshops with experts in environmental solutions, CSR, circular economy, green transformation to develop a map of key technical and substantive competencies necessary for SMEs staff.
✅ Stage 4. Interviews with SMEs or a survey on competence gaps in green areas, if necessary after Stages 1-3. It is a supplementary stage in case any doubts concerning the research carried out so far remain.
✅ Stage 5. 1 report with recommendations and solutions for SMEs
On this basis, the partners will build their training programs as well as educational materials and tools in Activity 2.
Our project is co-funded by the European Union 🇪🇺
AUTPOST ACADEMY - RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTRE 