The PROSPER Kick-off meeting took form in a hybrid format in Vienna. Luckily, most partners were able to participate in a face-to-face capacity. The partners had the opportunity to present their experience and interests:
Smart Revolution’s latest projects dealt with company trainings as well and included interested SMEs. SR seeks to strengthen this approach and, in addition, to collaborate with new partners on this project. Managing hybrid teams is also of interest to them, as is Design Thinking.
EUEI specializes in entrepreneurship and SMEs. As it is difficult to engage SMEs in training, EUEI is looking for new approaches and solutions to achieve this and to engage SMEs in online trainings, ideally in combination with other learning offers. Another aim is to develop future EU project proposals in this field. EUEI adds digital learning expertise and experience with projects on digital well-being to the project.
Eurotraining is a private VET institution and trains 2.000 people in more than 50 specialities; e-learning and hybrid learning is part of their courses. ET perceives hybrid working as a very hot topic and the main project aim is to help understand the new hybrid working situation. In the end, the results of this project will provide companies with a solution to manage hybrid working and sustaining quality of life and health and tackle the current frustration and exhaustion in this field.
For CATRO it is crucial to raise awareness for the importance of mental health and to advocate for an inclusive approach – everybody should be involved. Catro’s aim is to develop a very practical approach and smart training design, as managers in SMEs don’t have much time for training. As an HR expert, Catro has extensive experience in working with (big) companies – e.g. career counselling, employee assistant programme, support in psychological issues – and can draw on experiences made here in the field of hybrid working and in addressing the SME target group.
Momentum’s founder has a solid background in working in running an enterprise agency and in setting up SMEs herself. She adds her expertise on the policy level to the project on the distinct needs of SME managers, on diverse work, on digital well-being projects. Another area of expertise relates to the gender and inclusion aspect – regarding the current project e.g., women have been stronger affected by Covid19 than men.
Bupnet’s expertise covers, amongst others, the topic of informal learning. About the project, especially the combination of a mainstream idea with a pressing need is considered as a strength. Hybrid working has brought more flexibility, at the same time it led to reductions in team spirit, commitment and identification with the company. The starting point have to be managers, as they are responsible for coordinating their teams. The focus of the project should lie on rather small, but lasting steps and solutions instead of too ambitious aims.
Die Berater, who will be coordinating the project, are a leading educational provider for companies in Austria. They desire to create something that will really work in practice for line managers and team leaders of SMEs – a new leadership training and consulting product. As an organization, they strive to strengthen their network and stake as a provider of company trainings, and identify potential future developments and synergies.
In order to get a clearer view on our target group, an exercise on working with PERSONAS was undertaken. For each persona, the participants were asked to prepare a clear image of a persona in groups (incl. company & professional profile, key objectives and desires, challenges and fears, opportunities and hopes, behaviours, needs). As a result, 5 different personas emerged out of this exercise as typical representatives of a manager/leader/team leader or employee in a SME.
