SMEBOX - SMEBOX Projects

Talent Management for Industry 4.0 - Talent 4.0

9/15/2019

A challenge for all - employers and employees

Logo of Talent 4.0 with link to a description of the project

Is your business ready to meet the challenge connected to Talent Management in the coming years? How will you recruit, motivate, develop and retain your staff?
Having the best team is crucial for all businesses - not at least for the small businesses there every single employee is a key to success. Recruiting the "wrong" person can be very costly and loosing a key resource can mean a dangerous situation there the entire business is at risk.
Depending on the size and type of organization it can be the owner, the CEO, a HR manager or any other role that has to be competent and up to date with how the "game" of Talent Management is played.

Talent 4.0 can provide you with the necessary tools

In the Talent 4.0 project we will develop some useful guides and describe a bunch of concrete tools that can be of good use. We have now been collecting tools in all partner countries and a summary and presentation of them will shortly be available. The next step for all partners in Talent 4.0 will be to design a training package to be used by managers and other individuals responsible for the competence development and manning of a company. Stay tuned to receive our information and to access the tools and training packages.

Photo from partner meeting two in Nicosia Cyprus in March 2019 with link to post

Visit the Facebook page of Talent 4.0

Progress in Tourism Project - CEL4ITM

9/14/2019

During two days of intense discussions and fruitful collaboration in Lahti, Finland, the partners of CEL4ITM met to decide on the way forward for the Innovation in Tourism Management project.
The project aims at providing both beginners and professionals with new skills and competences in order to be prepared to meet the new demands in a very fast developing industry.
Based on the findings in a research on existing training programs and courses the content of tools is now sorted out and also the model on how the modules will be prepared.

Partners in CEL4ITM - ready to go back home and start production

The training program will be based on the following material in each module:

Video lesson - approximately 5-7 minutes with basic theory
Animated video with Case Study/Lessons learned
Explanation in a short text with key details
Further reading, links and examples

Content of the 8 Modules

We all make digital information available - final stage

9/9/2019

Final meeting in Alcala de Henares 5-6 September

The WAMDIA family in front of the entrance of University of Alcala de Henares

As a summary of the project partners concluded that all objectives have been met and that WAMDIA now is ready to launch the tools and material to a broader audience.
Since the EU Regulation on accessibility step by step is implemented and the requirements for accessible digital information no longer is an option but a must - it is very clear that there are many individuals who have to get new skills in order to be able to produce accessible digital information.

Visti WAMDIA in Facebook

Digital Accessibility - benefits for all of us

WAMDIA logo with link to web page

The EU regulation and national laws in Europe forces all public organizations to present digital information in an accessible way. This goes for both new material and next year also for earlier published material. It is not required for private organizations and individuals to produce their digital information in an accessible mode - but - there are several opportunities and benefits if even small businesses learns how to do it.

New target groups in existing market
Competitiveness will increase in relation to other businesses
Information will be more available also to individuals with no special needs
Being a part of the digital citizenship will be an advantage

WAMDIA - Multiplier Event and Pilot Course in Sweden

9/1/2019

The WAMDIA project is approaching the final stage and the end of the project after 2 years of great work between 8 partners - spread all over Europe.

In this post you will find information about the Pilot and Multiplier Event in Sweden - as SMEBOX is the Swedish partner of WAMDIA. Most of the information found behind the links is in Swedish as the target group has been Swedish organizations and individuals.

Activities in Sweden

WAMDIA logo with link to WAMDIA website

In Sweden WAMDIA Pilot course was launched 5th of June 2019 and officially ended in 31st of August 2019. With 55 individuals signed up for the pilot training and 34 managing to get the diplomas we are very happy for the result achieved and also for the feedback given by learners.

The Multiplier Event took place in Gävle, Sweden, on the 23d of August 2019 and gathered 30 participants to a seminar and discussion with focus on Accessibility to Digital Information. Among speakers we could listen to and discuss with Per Rosqvist and Christina ¨Kina¨ Edin.
Per, blind from birth, experienced in testing websites and social media posts gave some very useful tips on how to plan and maintain digital information in order to make it more accessible.
Kina, specialized in Universal Design, gave all participants some aha-moments in the change of mindset to always think in terms of accessibility for all either in the digital world or the real world.

Read more to find links to Swedish web-pages and material from the activities...

Newsletter from CEL4ITM - Innovation in Tourism Management

7/31/2019

Our first newsletter in CEL4ITM is out - read it and share it with individuals and organizations with focus and interest in the Tourism sector. As the project aims at both beginners and professionals in the industry - there will be something for all - to get new skills as well as up-scaling existing skills and competences.
Very soon you will be able to register to receive more information and to be invited to use the training modules.

Content in the 8 modules

For beginners

Module 1 Introduction to management
Module 2 Financial Management
Module 3 Marketing
Module 4 Customer-oriented approach and Customer relationship / experience management
Module 5 Leadership and motivation
Module 6 Specific ICT tools in the tourism business

For professionals

Module 7 Coaching skills
Module 8 Mentoring skills

Click to open Newsletter 1

AROMA meeting in Bilbao, Spain - 27-28 May 2019

6/2/2019

A great partner meeting in Bilbao - organized by Media Creativa - was held in Bilbao in the very end of May 2019. Partners met to discuss the development of the training material and to finalize the curriculum for the same.

The curriculum, under the lead of IRIS - a Greece VET organization , was now decided to be finalized. A curriculum that contains the necessary knowledge and competences to train entrepreneurs and VET trainers how to use AR in the SME Business.
In the meeting it was also decided on how to finalize the training material and the guide for VET trainers - to be launched and tested out in October in Athens Greece.

You can follow the results and achievements of AROMA in our project website - and very soon also take the course and/or use the guide for trainers.

Talent 4.0 - Talent Management for Industry 4.0

4/1/2019

Talent Management is a crucial skill and a necessary domain to have a clear strategy on for the sustainability in European SMEs. If you manage to attract, develop and motivate skilled and committed employees - you are closer to a long term success with your business.
In Talent 4.0 we are creating a training- and tool package for entrepreneurs, business owners and managers in SMEs in order to bring awareness and to provide with bits and pieces that can give to the process of Talent Management.

Logo of Talent 4.0 project and a link to the official web

Meeting in Nicosia - March 26-27, 2019

Team of partners in Talent 4.0

Talent 4.0 Facebook page

In the end of March 2019 it was time for the second partner meeting and to have an update on findings in the Research, national and as a summary, and to make decisions regarding the coming stages in the project.
As presumed already in the application - the knowledge about and use of Talent Management in SMEs are very limited. Larger enterprises with HR departments and Talent Managers have already taken some steps into the world of Talent Management and there are several tools and software to support the TM process in those companies. However - the smaller enterprises are only in the beginning of getting Talent Management into the organization in a strategic way.

CEL4ITM - kicking of for innovation in Tourism Management

2/5/2019

CEL4ITM Logo with link to Facebook page

The partners of CEL4ITM met for the first time in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the end of January 2019, setting the project into a execution plan and checking the goals and control gates.
The first step in the project is to check the national programs for management in tourism sector and the topics covered in different programs. This will make it clear to the partners on what needs to be added into a training program to develop managers in small tourism enterprises in order to prepare them for the challenges to stay competitive and to be able to further develop their products and activities for customers with requirement for a modern tourist.

The meeting took place in the City Centre of Santa Cruz at Real Casino de Tenerife organized by our host EVM. The photo below taken on the roof top of the amazing building of our meeting.

A great place for meetings - and for projects related to the Tourism Industry. Santa Cruz is located in the north of Tenerife and well worth a visit

Follow "Read more" to learn about the projects objectives and content...

Digital Accessibility - Survey to prepare a guide for us all

5/20/2018

Are you aware of the directive on digital accessibility by the European Commission? Help us in our WAMDIA project by taking this survey - use "SMEBOX" as your reference. Register your e-mail address too and you will get the report when it is ready

Erasmus+ KA-2 project 2017-1-ES01-KA202-038673

The Project WAMDIA (We All Make Digital Information Accessible) with focus on promoting digital accessibility in Europe, also supporting the implementation of the directive 2016/2002. After an analysis of the situation in the participating countries (Spain, Italy, Hungary, Ireland and Sweden), we now need to know how the main target groups (namely non-ICT VET teachers and managers, public employees and managers and SME employees and managers) perceive the topic of the implementation of digital accessibility in their daily activities.

Remember to enter SMEBOX as your reference

Medical Additive Manufacturing - 3D Printing - Annual Report

5/12/2018

"Dramatic news headlines imply that the use of additive manufacturing/3D printing in medicine is a new way to save and improve lives. The truth is, it’s not so new. Twenty years ago anatomical models were beginning to be used for planning complicated surgeries. In 2000, hearing aid cases were being 3D-printed and within a few years became industry standard. Medical applications have been a leader in taking 3D printing technology far beyond a product development tool." SME Medical AM3DP Annual Report 2018

Source: SME Medical AM3DP Annual Report 2018

Source: SME Medical AM3DP Annual Report

ith new materials and new types of printers being added to the processes in combination with enhanced software for design - one crucial key is the availability of skilled individuals that can manage the challenge of this quick development.

To build new teams will require a combination of new knowledge mixed with experience in the business and manufacturing processes.

In the SME Medical AM3DP Annual Report 2018 there are three new jobs pointed out for the medical section of AM and 3DP:

Medical 3D Printing Engineer
Medical AM Engineer
Medical AM/3D Printing Technologist

But the list of new job titles will be much longer than this and new educational programs and courses will be required to meet the needs of organizations working in the field.

Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing in general are growing domains in both public organizations and in business. Not at least does it open for Small Businesses to Contract Manufacturing and other Subcontract services. In the area of Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing there are so many different stages in a complete process that we can see new types of clusters popping up - providing flexible teams, working for a number of end user domains.
The merge of traditional industries and new types is a very interesting process - and there is definitely room for entrepreneurs and innovators in this market and what it will cover along the emerging technologies and tools used in the processes of 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.

The ROTENA project is only one small step to create a framework for new training modules but can serve as a base and a start for both individuals and educators towards the world of 3D printing.