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Training Entrepreneurs in Connecting Generations and Supporting Successful Business Succession Planning for micro-SMEs
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: Aug 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Micro-SMEs entrepreneurs hold a significant role in all economies and are the key generators of employment and income as long as drivers of innovation and growth. In the OECD area, SMEs employ more than half of the labor force in the private sector. In the European Union, they account for over 99 % of all enterprises. SMEs need specific policies and programmes – hence the comprehensive range of SME measures currently in place across the OECD members. . However, at the present time, SMEs have been especially hard hit by the global crisis. More than 60 % of all European companies are family owned, representing between 40 % — 50 % of all jobs . Also, family businesses face the same financial constraints as any other type of business and also face certain specific challenges. According to the "Overview of Family –Business and Relevant Issues, research, networks, Policy Measures for the Promotion of SMEs’ competitiveness" in 2009, SMEs face 3 types of challenges • “’Challenges that arise from the environment in which companies operate: Unawareness of policy makers of the specificities of family businesses, and their economic and social contribution; Financial issues (e.g. gift and inheritance tax, access to finance without losing control of the firm, favorable tax treatment of reinvested profits). • Challenges that develop as a consequence of the micro-SME’s internal matters: Unawareness by micro-SME of the importance of planning business transfers early; Balance between the family, ownership and business aspects within the enterprise; Difficulties in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce. • Challenges related to educational aspects, which have an impact on both the business environment and on family firms’ internal matters: Lack of entrepreneurship education and family-business-specific management training and research into family-business-specific topics, plus effective.” The InToGeneration project will focus especially on how to efficiently plan and organise the business transfer to a successor. The project aims to provide training to assist the successors in taking over an existing business from their parents, using a mobile learning application, combined with an innovative modular training material approach. Following outcomes are to be delivered: - A curriculum, course content and training material that meets the needs of micro-SMEs and that follows a case study approach through which successors can learn via handy examples and easy to learning concepts. - A mobile and online self assessment service, which will be portable, handy and address the main concerns of a successful business transfer. - A learning environment, both mobile and online, where micro-SMEs can exchange best practices. Partners include: - Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Gazi Universitesi Teknoloji Fakultesi (TR) - BERLINK ETN GmbH (DE) - INTERPROJECTS (BG) - K POULOPOULOS E.P.E. (GR) - SINDICAT TREBALLADORS ENSENYAMENT P.V. (ES) - Ankara Ticaret Odasi (TR)
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