Funding continuing training in small and medium-sized enterprises : discussion and case studies from across the EU

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form a significant part of all EU Member State economies. Growing recognition of their importance has led to introducing several measures at both EU and Member State levels to harness and improve their competitiveness. One area that has gained attention is their ability to provide and participate in continuing training. In the European Commission's white paper 'Growth, competitiveness and employment: the challenges and ways forward into the 21st century' (1993), Member States were encouraged to give 'particular attention... to the continuing training of staff in small and medium-sized enterprises' (p. 138). This study focuses on the different measures introduced within Member States and how they are financed. The first section of this report focuses on the importance of funding training in SMEs and highlights the various funding available. The second section explains how various schemes work in the EU. The third section discusses the findings in Sections 1 and 2 and provides a summary of the main descriptive characteristics of these different funding schemes and the available evaluative indicators. The report outlines current funding schemes, their operation and results in various settings. It also reviews research undertaken and clarifies some fundamental issues involving the effective funding of continuing training in SMEs.