Small and medium-sized companies are the backbone of the European economy and empower the growth and employment. Moreover, SMEs contribute to the training of the future work force through their involvement in apprenticeships and indeed, apprenticeship schemes offer great value not only to the SMEs and the apprentices themselves, but also to the entire society.
 
By documenting and sharing good practices, SMEs can learn from their own experiences and from others. They can turn this knowledge into action and develop their capacities and respond more quickly and effectively to different changes that may arise. If good practices are not documented, it is highly possible that mistakes will be repeated, successful examples will be forgotten and opportunities for improved practices will be lost. 

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​That is why, as part of the Erasmus+ project ROI - Return on Investment of WBL and Apprenticeships, KISMC opens a call to collect good practices from collaborating companies. The collection of good practices will present different ways to facilitate the involvement of SMEs in apprenticeship schemes and will serve as a standard to promote knowledge sharing, collaboration, increase efficiency and enhance work-based learning (WBL) and apprenticeship supply.

​The call aims at gathering a collection of good practices and successful examples from SMEs throughout the pilot experimentation of the ROI project. All partners: Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club (KISMC) - Bulgaria, the Technical University of Kosice (TUKE) - Slovakia, 3 training organisations active in VET: IDEC - Greece, CECOA - Portugal, PIT - Spain and  Social Value UK , DLEARN - Italy and Cosmic Innovations - Cyprus, will work together for  case studies of SMEs offering apprenticeships. ​

​All the practices will be published in a Good Practices Guide, which will include a set of instructions, suggestions and successful examples from the project partners' countries. This will lead to contributing to the work-based learning (WBL) and apprenticeships' supply from SMEs.
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Many SMEs realize the need of investing in young talent and have started to recognize the benefits. However, attracting new talent has its challenges and realizing what support is out there to assist this process and make it more appealing for SMEs to implement these practices requires better awareness of the existing materials, know-how and support. Moreover, this type of investment starts early, with partnerships and activities at school and universities.

Apart from the direct benefits for companies, there is also a broader spectrum of advantages for the society, such as increased employability and employment of young people, work experience opportunities, development of a pool of skilled workers at regional level, social inclusion of vulnerable groups, economic returns such as reduction of public expenditure etc.

Furthermore, SMEs providing WBL and apprenticeship programmes experience variety of advantages, ranging from financial to soft benefits both short and long term, such as higher productivity, reduction of external recruitment, highly motivated and talented personnel, enhanced corporate image, staff retention, opportunity to fill skill gaps etc.
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There are various factors and elements of the education system across the EU but a unified approach and frameworks have been developed to enhance the role of work-based learning in its different forms and apprenticeships in particular. Moreover, to make them an effective tool for SMEs to solve the issue with lack of skills and talent, on the one hand. On the other hand, they are growth and success factors for businesses as well as key drivers for success for SMEs.
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Implementing a holistic approach and system for apprenticeships allows SMEs to become more competitive and attract the right set of skills, knowledge and competences for growth and innovation as key competitive advantages in today’s economy and competitive markets.
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According to the research and surveys as well as the conducted focus groups of the project “Return on Investment of Work Based learning and apprenticeships”, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, SMEs' decision to engage in the supply of WBL and apprenticeship training is determined by the cost-benefit ratio of such an investment.

Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club (KISMC) is a partner in the "Return on Investment of Work Based learning and apprenticeships" project (ROI), along with a diverse and complementary mix of organisations - from Slovakia the Technical University of Kosice (TUKE), 3 training organisations active in VET: IDEC - Greece, CECOA - Portugal, PIT - Spain and also from the UK - Social Value UK - a network focusing on social value and social impact, from Italy a network focusing on the promotion of digital learning and use of ICT - DLEARN and an ICT company focusing in ICT-enabled E&T - Cosmic Innovations - Cyprus.

The ROI project has been focusing on developing:

- A model for the calculation of RoI of WBL and apprenticeships by SMEs
- A digital tool that will demonstrate the RoI model in a visual way

to calculate and visualize how investment on WBL and apprenticeships can manifest to multiple benefits.

To access the ROI calculation model and digital tool, please click here.

Did you know that SMEs represent 99% of all businesses in the EU? Or that statistics from the European Commission (EC) outline that in the past five years SMEs have created around 85% of new jobs and have provided two-thirds of the total private sector employment in the EU?
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The availability of skilled labour is an important prerequisite to the SMEs’ prosperity, however, there is a mismatch between the skills the labour market demands and those that the education and training system provides. In order to tackle this mismatch, the EC has identified that quality work-based learning (WBL) and apprenticeships can be an efficient way of addressing labour market imbalances.
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​“Acquisition of knowledge and skills through ‘carrying out – and reflecting on – tasks in a vocational context, either at the workplace (such as alternance training) or in a VET (vocational education and training) institution”. 
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 “Systematic, long-term training alternating periods at the workplace and in an educational institution or training center. The apprentice is contractually linked to the employer and receives remuneration (wage or allowance). The employer assumes responsibility”.

In countries, where there is a well-established apprenticeship system, such as UK, Austria and Germany, SMEs contribute strongly to the training of the future workforce through their involvement in work-based learning and apprenticeship schemes. On the contrary, in countries with more school-based systems such as Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Bulgaria, the engagement of SMEs in the supply of placements is more challenging as they lack the support systems and fail to realize both the financial and social benefits.
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Based on this need, the project - “Return on Investment of Work Based learning and apprenticeships” (project N°: 2017-1-SK01-KA202-035375) suggests the development of a return on investment (RoI) model and digital tool that will allow European SMEs to calculate and visualize how investment on WBL and apprenticeships can manifest to multiple benefits, especially economic benefits, which you can have a glimpse on below. 
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1. Positive impact on the organisation’s performance
2. Reducing the cost of external recruitment and internal induction of staff into a new job/ organisation
3. Enhancing the company’s image and reputation
4. Increasing staff retention and work satisfaction
5. Providing an effective way for adequate supply of skills
6. Better employee candidate pool, leading to lower future training costs
7. Availability of skilled workers by investing in the future workforce
8. Enhancing the organisation’s profitability
9. Increasing the levels of innovation – trainees bring innovation into the experience (digital skills and open innovation)
10. Knowledge of the latest trends, i.e. young people bring fresh ideas and challenge old habits

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In conclusion, there are a number of key benefits of work-based learning and apprenticeships for SMEs, which are not always considered by the companies. If you are leading one of the 99% of SMEs in the EU, wouldn't you want to increase your productivity and innovation capacity? Or strengthen your brand as an employer, develop your talent in-hose and increase your retention rate? Overall, wouldn't you want to decrease your talent acquisition costs?

If every employer asks themselves these questions, it appears significantly evident how important it is to review their practices regarding work-based learning and apprenticeships and to better evaluate their future investment. However, more awareness needs to be raised about the benefits of WBL and apprenticeship among SMEs as well as support.
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“Return on Investment of Work Based learning and apprenticeships”, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union has developed a return on investment (RoI) model and digital tool that allows European SMEs to calculate and visualize how investment on WBL and apprenticeships can manifest to multiple benefits. 

The international conference "Digital Skills & Innovation @2030" that took place on 11 July 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria was attended by more than 150 delegates from various countries. The event was organised by the two partners of the "Design Thinking for Digital Innovation' Project - DigiThink No. 2016-1-BG01-KA203-023719 - KISMC and ULSIT, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

The conference was organised to reveal the results of the 2-years DigiThink project, where 6 organisations were working together: KISMC - Bulgaria, State University of Library Studies and IT - Bulgaria, University of Deusto - Spain, Tecnalia - Spain, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra - Slovakia, Training 2000 - Italy. In addition to that, the international conference "Digital Skills & Innovation @2030" brought together innovation and digital experts, entrepreneurs, investors, academicians, professionals and stakeholders in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. During the event like-minded people  had the opportunity to exchange views on various topics in the digital, innovation and entrepreneurship space and discuss potential collaboration.
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After months of preparation and hard work during the conference all DigiThink project partners shared the results of the project, whereas the conference had amazing speakers from the UK, Spain, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Moreover, the conference had a workshop panel during which all delegates had a chance to participate in a competition game for design thinking, focused on the digitization and transformation of Sofia into a smart city and during the process they had to generate and share ideas and solutions in this direction.

The event was full of excitement, great networking over glasses of wine and plenty of follow ups bringing potential opportunities for everyone.

​If you didn't have a chance to join us at this illuminating event, we have recapped it in 13 interesting insights from the speakers, therefore please check them out below:
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An approach based on Design Thinking was followed in the “Digithink” Project.
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• Human Oriented approach: “Empathising”
• We focus on the “creators” of new digital products and services, their needs and the environment for their activity.
• In today’s fast developing and increasingly digital world, organizations face many challenges: disruptive technologies, economic pressures, globalization and, mainly, keeping up with changes in customer behaviour.

Design thinking can help management to build the experience platforms of the organizations, suggesting the best way for the experiences providers.

The Scrum Ban Lab for Business with the main experiment of Agile School

• A lab for experiments for creating didactic instruments based on the toolbox applied in real practice
• Parents are the stakeholders in the education process and are kind of Product Owners, along with teachers
• Teachers are moderators, mentors and observe the processes of building the "overall picture" as they are the Product Owners together with the representatives of the companies, organizations and institutions
• Students self-organize, self-assess (somewhat) and work in teams / clusters

Ensure that:

1. The dimensions of wickedness are prevalent in the problem; and
2. Student tasks are challenging and require them to get involved in the problem. This leads to the (experienced) open-endedness of the problem solving process and the need to cross boundaries.
3. Ensure alignment between learning goals, coaching, assessment with regard to boundary crossing
4. Organize milestones.

Is design thinking the right tool for:

• developing technology enablers?
• creating startups?
• easily design products?

The ARIES IT cluster in Cluj-Napoca - a great example for an active cluster that initiated a Digital Innovation Hub in Transilvania - a bottom up approach of the regional stakeholders, aiming to position Cluj and Transilvania on the map of EU network and DIH.

​An important component within the cluster is the development of working groups such as:

How to innovate?
Where to start from?

No, it's not creating ideas...
It is FINDING PROBLEMS.

​Combining empathy, creativity, collaboration and prototyping.

The relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation:

1. Entrepreneurs use innovation to drive and achieve change for commercial or socio-economic results
2. Innovation underpins the differentiator that allows the entrepreneurs to succeed by utilising their unique skills-set and personality

• SMEs represent 99% of all business in the EU
• SMEs are the backbone of the economy and have skills they can leverage
• Start-ups are interesting but risky (96% die before they turn 5 years)

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That is why ​the IXLerator has been designed to take multiple teams in the creation of the
innovation process system and obtaining results in SMEs.

​The participants got involved in a competition game based on design thinking and focused on the digitization and transformation of Sofia into a smart city. During the process all attendees were separated into teams and generated and shared ideas and solutions on how to better integrate technology into the capital of Bulgaria for the better lifestyles of citizens. This part of the conference was assisted by Cluster Sofia Knowledge City, which aims at transforming Sofia from a traditional capital to a knowledge and smart city.

The keynote speakers and the conference participants did engage in insightful discussion on the 13 topics above and we believe that everyone had a chance to learn something new and interesting that would benefit them.

If you didn't have a chance to attend, don't forget to follow our social media as well as sign up for our Newsletter.

This questionnaire aims at identifying the main success factors, obstacles, successful strategies and approaches to effective work-based learning (WBL) in SMEs in order to motivate and engage them in the higher provision of WBL and apprenticeships.

​The results will provide the base for the elaboration of the digital tool for the calculation of the return on investments (ROI) of WBL and apprenticeships made by SMEs. The research is part of the project “Return on Investment of Work Based learning and Apprenticeships” project N°: 2017-1-SK01-KA202-035375. 

​We would highly appreciate your participation in this study. The research is taking place in all the countries of the project's partnership: Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spian and the UK. However, with this post we are focussed on Bulgarian SMEs and will take you a few minutes to enourmously help the study.

* In the processing of analysis data, partners will maintain the confidentiality of your response. 
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The ROI project promotes open and innovative practices in a digital era. It delivers a web based digital tool accessible also by mobile devices in the form of a Dynamic Demonstrator capable of depicting in a purely visual way how investment in WBL and apprenticeships can manifest to multiple benefits for the company and the local society.

The innovative force of the project is the development of a model of costs and benefits calibrated on the specific needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to calculate in advance the return of investments. Differently from traditional ROI analysis, the model presented by the project focuses on both SMEs-related benefits as well as on society-related ones in order to clearly demonstrate the multilevel outcomes derived from work-based learning practices.
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The project will deliver useful tools and your assistance in the research would be much appreciated:

1. Model for Return on Investment of WBL and apprenticeships
2. Digital tool
3. Good practice guide

For more information on the tools, please read here and below you will find useful information from the resources you will have access to when they become available:

• If you are an SME already involved in apprenticeships, you will gain a model and a practical digital tool to calculate the return on investment from your engagement in the provision of WBL and apprenticeships. You will also benefit from the opportunity to promote your related activities through the Good Practices Guide and the participation in the apprenticeships-friendly enterprises badge. This will allow you to gain visibility on your local and national markets, as a company that cares for their apprenticeships. This visibility will support your company’s’ image and social responsibility.

• If you are an SME with no previous experience in apprenticeships, you will get familiar and discuss the benefits of apprenticeships for the local development and the progress of your own company. By visualising the benefits for your company, through the provision of WBL and Apprenticeships, you are expected to engage in the provision of such positions thus enhancing the overall VET provision at local level and enhancing access to training and qualifications for all.

• If you are a VET provider, you will have at your disposal a model and a digital tool to promote to SMEs in order to engage them in the provision of apprenticeships. This way you will be able to find more easily apprenticeship positions for your learners.

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• If you are a policy maker, you will be able to use the model and the digital tool results in your decision making processes in order to discuss the funding mechanisms for apprenticeships and engage in a dialogue with SMEs, VET providers and social partners for the identification of a sustainable funding formula.

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"Return on Investment of Work Based Learning and apprenticeships" (N°: 2017-1-SK01-KA202-035375) is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union*.

* Erasmus+ is the European Union’s (EU) programme for education, training, youth and sport, with the EU committing £12 billion to the programme between 2014 and 2020. By 2020 it is expected that over 800,000 education and training staff and youth workers will teach or train abroad across Europe with Erasmus+. Projects provide opportunities for learners and staff to improve their skills, enhance their employability and gain cultural awareness.

Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club (KISMC) is a partner along with a diverse and complementary mix of organisations - from Slovakia the Technical University of Kosice (TUKE), 3 training organisations active in VET: IDEC - Greece, CECOA - Portugal, PIT - Spain and also from the UK - Social Value UK - a network focusing on social value and social impact, from Italy a network focusing on the promotion of digital learning and use of ICT - DLEARN and an ICT company focusing in ICT-enabled E&T - Cosmic Innovations - Cyprus.
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The ROI project promotes open and innovative practices in a digital era. It delivers a web based digital tool accessible also by mobile devices in the form of a Dynamic Demonstrator capable of depicting in a purely visual way how investment in WBL and apprenticeships can manifest to multiple benefits for the company and the local society. The digital tools developed in the framework of the project will remain available as open educational resources under Creative Common License.
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For SMEs with limited financial resources, work based learning (WBL) represents an important tool. The RoI online tool offers:

• a cost and social benefits model calibrated on specific needs of SME managers and entrepreneurs to calculate the RoI for apprenticeships and WBL supply.

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1. Contribute to the sustainable investment of WBL and apprenticeships by making apparent their benefits for both individual SMEs and the society as a whole
2. Develop a model for the calculation of RoI of WBL and apprenticeships by SMEs
3. Design a digital tool that will demonstrate the RoI model in a visual way
4. Develop a Good Practice Guide addressed to SMEs, giving guidance on how to design, implement and monitor profitable apprenticeship practices which can benefit the enterprise, the apprentice and the entire society
5. Create and promote an apprenticeship-friendly SMEs badge to increase the engagement of companies in the provision of WBL
6. Promote a VET – SMEs cooperation, through experimentation and validation of the RoI model

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ROI of WBL and apprenticeships has been designed to engage:
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1. Managers, staff and trainers from SMEs that already host or are interested in providing WBL and apprenticeship;
2. Staff from VET providers, i.e. VET teachers and trainers, administrative staff dealing with apprenticeships, etc;
3. Policy makers, representative of stakeholders, VET expert and practitioners, social partners.

In addition to that, long-term beneficiaries such as VET learners who will benefit from the increased provision of WBL opportunities in their local, regional and national area.
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The Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club joined the Bulgarian Network of the United Nations Global Compact in September 2016. KISMC was awarded a Certificate for joining the Global Compact and committing to promote the Ten principles of Global Compact in its everyday operations. The certificate was received at the National Council meeting on 20th September by Mr. Ognian Trajanov, Chairperson of the Steering Committee.

The Global Compact is the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 12 000 organisations involved from 170+ counries. The Compact is a voluntary initiative of the former UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, bringing together business and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, cities and UN agencies in a truly global forum to promote sustainable growth and civic responsibility. The ten Principles of the Global Compact are aimed at the implementation of responsible business practices in the field of human rights, labour standards, environment and anti-corruption.

The Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact, which operates as part of the global network and was officially launched on May 6, 2011 by H.E. Ban Ki-moon – Secretary General of the UN, is an association of companies and NGOs.

One of the main reasons for KISMC to join is to contribute and support one of the Sustainable Development Goals, i.e. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. This objective foresees the following development locally in Bulgaria:

1. Development of the intelligent specialization in Bulgaria
   
   
2. Areas for improvement (weaknesses) – lack of:

• Integration and collaboration between academia and business
• Market for innovations
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) culture
• Financial instruments and sources for innovation
  

The Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Global Compact strive for improving the world via a collective way. In September 2015 a plan for achieving a better future for all was adopted, i.e. to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect the planet Earth. At the heart of “Agenda 2030” are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information on the Sustainable Goals, please read here

The UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles are derived from: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

1. Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
2. Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
3. Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
4. The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour.
5. The effective abolition of child labour.
6. The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
7. Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
8. Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
9. Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
10. Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

After the summer holidays, on 3 October KISMC organised a seminar on the SME Instrument and HORIZON 2020 showcasing the opportunities SMEs have for financing of their innovations after introducing the new EU programme period 2014 - 2020.

The seminar's objective was to look at H2020, introduce case studies of the SME Instrument, practical advises and instructions on the applications forms. The topics were covered by representatives of KISMC, Innovation Management Academy, HIRON Management Consulting, Energy2Go and by the special guest of the event - Xavier Aubry, ZAZ Ventures, who has got an extensive portfolio of helping SMEs secure funding and has offices in Brussels, London and Zurich.

On 29 April 2014 KISMC organised a seminar in collaboration with the Electric Vehicle Industrial Cluster (EVIC) on "The SME Instrument - Practical Aspects" with speaker Dimitar Hristov – the Chairman of the Steering Committee of KISMC.

Twenty business representatives - members of the cluster as well as managers and owners of Bulgarian enterprises - took part in the seminar. They were familiarised with the integrated approach of the European Commission for supporting SMEs and the concept for financing innovative projects with the help of the SME Instrument. The seminar was focused on the already open calls, procedures, requirements and conditions for successful applications under the SME Instrument. As most of you know,  the SME Instrument is the prime instrument of Horizon 2020 for supporting innovations in SMEs in the current programming period of the EU Financial Framework (2014-2020).

The members of the Enterprise Europe Network will have the principal commitment for initially helping businesses with the realisation of their projects under this Financial Framework. However, consultancies and/or experts in the EU projects’ management will play a major role for the successful preparation of the project proposals of innovative SMEs.