The main objective of this “Facilitation Guide” is to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the service sector to develop and improve the development of competences within these enterprises through self learning.[1]

This objective includes two important aspects:

·        Raising and empowering the competences of the SME workers in the service sector and, by that, improving the quality and the work organisation towards a learning organisation.

·        In this way “training providers” will be able to offer more flexible and customer oriented services and SME will become more effective in their working processes and consequently more competitive and more customer friendly.

In order to approach these goals by ways of self learning, a second objective comes into view: This kind of learning calls for the emergence of a new professional profile of “training providers”: They need to become facilitators of learning.

Facilitating learning in order to initiate and support processes of self learning in SME are the key terms and key issues of this “Facilitation Guide”. They need to be explained in more depth.

Also “learning” still is – to say the least – a rather uncommon matter for many SME. It is accompanied by objections of different kinds, fears in the background. On the other hand learning is the main and major strategy in order to face the challenges of change of the (working) world of today. More than ever before this kind of learning can not only relate to compiling a general “know how”, but must integrate a “know why” which is most closely related to the situational needs of a specific enterprise. Also this deserves some more explanation. It also needs to be explained more closely by which means this “Facilitation Guide” tries to reach these goals.

The “Facilitation Guide” starts with a “Users Manual”. It presents, in a first step, the basic explanations to the major points raised above like: the target groups, the key terms, the methods, and an overview on the Modules making up this “Facilitation Guide”.

The “Facilitation Guide” is designed in a modular way, which basically means: The modules try to follow a pattern of needs. Users will have to find out which module and which parts of each module is relevant for their needs. This holds especially true for Modules 2 and 3.

The Users Manual and Module 1 we sort of consider to be obligatory – at least for information purposes.

Module 1 “Change as the Challenge: Change Management by Learning” is delivering background information for (future) “facilitators” concerning this basic topic and objective of this “Facilitation Guide”: It also tackles the question of how to introduce and empower the idea of (self-)learning in SME .

Module 2 deals with the necessity to implement a “Learning Needs Analysis” focusing on the specific needs of individual enterprises. It comprises two parts:

Part 1 is more “theoretical” in the sense of explaining the ideas, background and also important methodological implications of the topic.

Part 2 is “practical” as it contains tools, instruments, practical suggestions, materials, hints etc.

Module 3 leads into “Facilitating learning measures on the Basis of Learning Needs Analysis”. Its two parts follow the pattern described for Module 2.

But there is also need for two further explanations of importance:

• This “Facilitation Guide” will hopefully satisfy the needs of SME in all European countries. Though a number of different European partners contributed to this project and “Facilitation Guide” it is our experience that there is no doubt about existing cultural differences which must not be ignored. They refer to different systems of vocational educational training (VET) and  continuing educational training (CVET), and they keep showing up in the language and terms used in different ways. As the intention of this “Facilitation Guide” is to relate as closely as possible to the specific needs of a specific SME, the following agreement was established: This “Master Copy” (in English language) will be marked at all the points by a note ->  where a National or Cultural Adaption ( or “contextualisation”, or “localisation”) seems to be necessary: The partners are asked to adapt this “Master Copy” in this sense![2]

• In terms of its nature this “Facilitation Guide” must allow for being a “Hand-/ or Work-Book”. It should stimulate to collect and integrate examples, experiences, tools, methods etc. which may enrich this “Guide”. For this reason we invite you to e.g. add to the examples given those examples which fit to your situation and experience. And foremost:: Do add especially to the parts 2 of Modules 1 and 2 those tools, instruments etc. which you may want to add to the examples given!

Module 4

AMU elaborated a draft concept for the new Guide module “Validation of Competences” and sent it by e-mail on 12/02/2008. All the partners gave feedback to draft concept for the new Guide module “Validation of Competences

Module 5

 The GAB elaborated a draft concept for the new Guide module Evaluation of Performance in SMEs