During the event, FEH participated in a working group comprising companies in the cybersecurity sector from all over Spain, but especially from the region of Castilla y León. The working group discussed various local, regional and national initiatives that promote training and talent retention in companies.
MobiliseSME can help the development of competences, skills and knowledge in the cybersecurity sector, through training stays in other EU companies. In addition, the current context of COVID-19 is serving to redirect strategies and train in skills needed for the new reality.
Thus, MobiliseSME contributes to SMEs’ talent retention and attraction strategies by:
1) Creating an internal incentive for growth and continuous training within the company;
2) And attracting new European talent for obtaining new synergies and knowledge (processes, management, innovation, products…).
In this working group, FEH shared space with AETICAL (Federation of ICT Companies Associations of Castilla y León), CONETIC (Spanish Confederation of ICT Companies) and Fundación Goodjob, specialised in the integration of people. Other companies, universities, associations and clusters of the sector also attended.
MobiliseSME would like to thank AEI for the opportunity to give us a voice at their event by allowing us to present our programme, demonstrating that their initiatives can also be ours. We hope this is the beginning of a fruitful collaboration.
We continue sharing with you some of the interesting activities that the first participants in MobiliseSME programme, Marta Templado (Turiart) & Claudio Cristofori (Jabalito & Karma Viaggi), have carried out over the last few months.
Activity highlights
A1- Meeting with the Deputy Mayor of the City of Bologna and delivering the MobiliseSME programme brochure to the City Council. The City of Bologna is very interested in the programme and has asked for a proposal to be approved before the end of the year.
In the same way, Valencia’s City Council is also interested in collaborating. It should be noted that both of them plan to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the twinning of València and Bologna, which took place on 3rd October 2020 but will be celebrated next year due to the current health crisis.
A2- Meeting with the Proloco Castel San Pietro Terme in Regione Emilia-Romagna, in order to share their interest in cultural tourism and agritourism, making the collaboration increasingly fruitful.
A3- Turiart is offering virtual tours, which are online proposals that provide information about the routes and guided tours that they usually offer around the Valencian Community in Spain.
A4- Language and cultural exchanges: meetings in Spanish as a preparation for travel in 2021, using samples of art and culture, among others, for all those who are living in Bologna but like to travel and want to learn Spanish.
A5- Professional meeting with Guide d’Arte Bologna, the association of licensed tourist guides of Bologna.
A6- Guided tours organised by J&K Viaggi and Turiart, around Bologna.
– Christmas tour: nativity scenes and carol singing, as a Spanish Christmas tradition. Discovery of the oldest nativity scenes in Bolonia.
– “Bologna Antica e Romana”: walk through the historical centre of Bologna with a stop at the Roman Theatre.
– Organization of a guided tour on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, in collaboration with the director of MEB – Museo Ebraico di Bologna, to learn about the Jewish history of Bologna.
Marta and Claudio have been collaborating in Italy until January 2021. However, in March they started another new relationship until May, being this time Marta the host. Such was the success of the first collaboration that they decided to continue it in Spain and continue working on some of the aspects that were pending.
Soon we will tell you how this successful collaboration came to an end and provide you with the main results.
Stay tuned!
And remember that if you are interested in participating in Mobilise SME programme, you may contact support@mobilise-sme.eu or any of the entities that work as Local Contact Points.
The 10th of March 2021 was a key date in the consolidation of the European Single Market.
On that day, the official launch event of the MobiliseSME Programme –a new European business mobility programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises– took place.
What is MobiliseSME?
Funded by the EURES Axis of the European Commission’s EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI), MobiliseSME is the first mobility programme specifically designed for SMEs. Based on a successful pilot project implemented between 2015 and 2017, the programme fosters international collaborations between European SMEs by funding employee secondments in another European country.
Thus, the main objective of MobiliseSME is to boost the internationalisation of European SMEs, to improve their competitiveness, and to establish a common methodology at the EU level for mobility schemes for SME employees.
In short, the programme aims to harness the full potential of the European Single Market, the free mobility of workers as well as one of its most valuable assets, SMEs, which represent 99% of EU companies.
The MobiliseSME consortium is led by the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg and co-led by Fundación Equipo Humano, along with 11 other international organisations. Any company from any member state can participate. Other eligible countries would be Iceland, Norway, Albania, Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, and the Republic of North Macedonia.
During the webinar, the programme was introduced to the attending companies and business representatives, pointing out the opportunities and benefits it offers, including strengthening their international collaboration, knowledge, and skills, making them more resilient to future challenges.
The event –held online– was attended by a total of 153 participants, including companies from different sectors at the European level as well as business associations, incubators, and public and private entities representing European enterprises (Local Development Agencies, Trade Offices abroad, and territorial directorates). It was also attended by the various Local Contact Points (experts on mobility and business in the EU) and representatives of the two main business and SME branches at the EU level, the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion and the Directorate for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs (DG EMPL and DG GROW).
Likewise, Marta Templado (CEO of Turiart) and Claudio Cristofori (owner of J&K Jabalito & Karma Viaggi), shared their experience and success story as a result of their participation in the programme. Both companies were in Valencia and Bologna, respectively, with the objective of designing new tourist routes, training in languages, and establishing new contacts. Their business collaboration has achieved great results.
A new opportunity for companies in difficulties
In recent years, the EU has developed several programmes and initiatives to support workers’ mobility and business-to-business collaborations, especially among SMEs.
Until now, there has been no specific programme to support employees to move to other companies outside their own country and exchange knowledge. This has resulted in the creation of MobiliseSME.
In the current context, where many companies are rethinking their business models, MobiliseSME allows them to gain perspective and gain new skills and knowledge. Thanks to MobiliseSME, companies can redirect and rethink their strategies, especially those severely affected by the constraints of the current health crisis.
That is Marta Templado’s opinion, CEO of Turiart and participant in the programme: “When I heard about the MobiliseSME programme, I saw it as an opportunity to get to know the Italian market better, learn a new language and get future clients, especially now that everything is at a standstill in Spain”.
In the same vein, José Enrique Val, EU Project Manager of Fundación Equipo Humano pointed out that “the MobiliseSME programme has become a new impulse for European SMEs, as it is allowing them to reformulate their way of doing business as well as to develop and update the skills and knowledge necessary for the post-COVID reality”.
Alfonso Cadenas, EU Project Coordinator of Fundación Equipo Humano highlighted “the importance of the strategic approach to the internationalisation of SMEs through the development of the competences and skills of their employees, while the MobiliseSME programme can achieve great synergies with other regional, national and European programmes as in most cases it is complementary”.
The European Commission representatives, Mr. Denis Genton (DG EMPL) and Mr. Crispin Waymouth (DG GROW) agreed that the MobiliseSME programme adds to “initiatives that strengthen labour mobility within the European Union” as well as “the resilience of SMEs and the autonomous strategy of the European Single Market”.
Advantages of participating in MobiliseSME
The programme offers international technical and financial assistance to SMEs by organizing and supporting short secondments (1 to 6 months) in companies in other EU countries. These secondments are co-financed by the European Commission with monthly grants of up to €1,100.
At the same time, MobiliseSME also offers tailor-made sessions on how to internationalize products, so that participating companies can take advantage of the extensive networks to which the Local Contact Points belong, thus increasing their visibility on a European scale.
The programme also provides SMEs with various tools and information to find business partners in the EU, to expand their business, products, and services, as well as to improve the knowledge, skills, and competencies of their staff.
How to participate in the programme
Participating in MobiliseSME is easy: start by visiting the official MobiliseSME website. In addition to SMEs, freelancers, self-employed and one-person companies can also participate. The next step would be to contact one of the Local Contact Points in the EU. They guide, register, and support SMEs during their participation in the programme.
It is important to remember that registrations are allowed on the matchmaking platform until mid-2022.
MobiliseSME is a business mobility pilot programme that seeks to strengthen European SMEs’ skills and capacities development, by supporting short-term cross-border secondments for their staff.
This programme follows an approach that combines learning objectives for employees, managers, and (co-)owners of companies and international business opportunities for SMEs.
Many businesses see in this programme the opportunity to strengthen their international collaboration, to join forces, and to adapt their business to the challenges that are yet to come.
LAUNCH EVENT
During this online event, companies and business associations will have the opportunity to discover how the EU funded initiatives can be a great added value for them, not only by helping to boost their growth and expansion in the EU but also the skills of their employees.
The webinar will gather experts in internationalization, mobility of workers, SMEs, and EU bodies, in order to discuss the current situation of SMEs, their role in the EU single market and its opportunities.
It will also be a chance for SMEs to meet face to face with other counterparts and build up new collaborations. The event will act as a meeting and matchmaking point for future business opportunities.
SPEAKERS AND FURTHER DETAILS
Local Contact Points (chambers of commerce, incubators, business associations, and experts in mobility and business at the EU level) from the MobiliseSME programme will attend the webinar.
Moreover, the webinar will also be attended and presented by representatives of the two main branches of business and SMEs in the EU, concretely:
– A representative of Labour Mobility, Free Movement of Workers, EURES Unit from the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, DG EMPL;
– And a representative of SME Internationalisation Unit from the Directorate- General of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG GROW.
The webinar will be held in English.
REGISTRATIONS
You can check the full programme of the webinar here.
You can sign up for this webinar through this reply form.
The first secondment carried out under the Mobilise SME programme involves two companies: one from Spain and the other from Italy.
The working relationship between our participants began in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Both are taking advantage of the current situation in the tourism sector to create new synergies, collaborations and projects for the “post-COVID” stage, thanks to their participation in the Mobilise SME programme, which gives them the opportunity to continue growing professionally.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
