Creating a competitive edge: promoting SME skills

The European Union’s ‘2020’ growth strategy underlines why small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are the cornerstone of the EU’s drive for employment and economic growth. Likewise, SMEs in EU neighbouring regions are critical for job creation and economic development. With increasing evidence that quality staff is key to the competitive edge of SMEs, this briefing considers a number of challenges to improve enterprise skills in ETF partner regions. It puts forward a number of options to improve both policy and practice for up-skilling SMEs. Given that the skills’ agenda comprises a range of stakeholders, the briefing is addressed to policy makers in education, economy and employment, including organisations representing the interests of the SME sector.