Digital skills for small and medium enterprises in Bulgaria

Completed projects

Project name:
Digital Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Bulgaria

Implementation period:
2017 -2018

Partners:

GLBF
Union of Small and Medium Sized Businesses ‘Made in Bulgaria’
Latvian Association for Information and Communication Technologies
The Regional Libraries in the Bulgarian cities Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora

Summary:

The objective of the project is to create an innovative educational model in order to enhance users’ prospects for sustainable employment, to improve the quality of the Bulgarian workforce, to support the development of SMEs, and to establish regional libraries as centres for learning digital skills.

About the project

Digital Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Bulgaria

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) employ a significant proportion of the Bulgarian workforce, and they increasingly require a certain level of digital knowledge and skills among their employees. At the time of the project’s implementation, the European Commission was estimating that 90% of all jobs would require digital skills by the year 2020. However, Bulgaria’s readiness for the digital economy was very low, lying in the last quartile of ‘hesitant’ EU countries.

At the same time, the concept of libraries as ‘third places’ was beginning to take hold in other parts of Europe, with a focus on providing modern spaces based on equal access to information, communication, and opportunities for lifelong learning.

By merging these two considerations, the Digital Skills for SMEs project was carried out on the premise that Bulgarian public libraries have the potential to be learning centres for modern skills.

The objective of the project was to create an innovative educational model meeting the following criteria:

Enhancing users’ prospects for sustainable employment
improving the quality of the Bulgarian workforce
developing SMEs
establishing regional libraries as centres for learning digital skills.

The partner libraries in the project were in Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora. The organisational partner was the ‘Made in Bulgaria’ Union of Small and Medium Sized Businesses, and the Latvian Association for Information and Communication Technologies (LIKTA) shared good practices and advised on the implementation of the pilot project.

The project partners created training modules tailored to the needs of SMEs, with a curriculum centred on the changing nature of contemporary business and production methods, and the consequent effects on management and information systems. It was decided to focus on the four following digital skills:

Digital marketing
Cloud services for SMEs
Data protection and confidentiality
Secure online transactions and collaboration

The structure of the teaching programme was based on equal access and flexibility and included:

blended learning approaches: face-to-face, online training and practical applications
an online learning platform
free access to appropriate spaces, resources, trainers, mentors and partners in the participating public libraries

30 representatives from SMEs in the local area took part in the pilot programme.

The project results were disseminated throughout the GLBF library network and the membership of the Made in Bulgaria Union.

Total project funding came to 168,393.58 BGN, the majority through the European ‘Transnational and Danube Partnerships for Employment and Growth’ under the ‘Human Resources Development’ 2014-2020 operational programme, and the remainder from the European Social Fund. The project activities were implemented over the course of one year.

Experience exchange of e in Latvia

Innovative educational models and partnerships for the development of digital skills in SMEs

Project “Digital skills for small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria” Project “Digital skills for small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria” The first main activity of the project is the organization and implementation of a five-day training program for the exchange of experience and good practices in Latvia.

It was attended by two representatives of FGBB, the three regional libraries and SMEs from Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora. Through it, the capacity of FGBB and key stakeholders to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate good practices and innovative approaches is increased in two main directions:

I. Construction and development of modern and effective educational models for the acquisition of digital skills by those employed in SMEs;

II. Building and developing broad partner networks at national and regional level for social innovation in the field of lifelong learning for employed persons, with a focus on the acquisition of digital skills.

An important emphasis is the inclusion of representatives of the target group in this activity. The acquired knowledge and skills will subsequently allow them to actively participate in the adaptation of the educational program in Bulgaria. In this way, it will be tailored as best as possible to the specific needs and characteristics of those employed in SMEs from the regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora. During the visit, the Bulgarian delegation got acquainted with the digital skills development activities of the Latvian partner LIKTA. Dr. Mara Jakobsson, Vice President of LIKTA, made a presentation of the project “Digital Skills for Small and Medium Enterprises in Latvia”: the objectives, activities and main results achieved.

The hosts presented the training methodology developed and used in the Latvian project.

A practical demonstration of the online learning platform developed and used within the Latvian project was carried out. Special attention was given to administration and training tools such as Share Point and MOODLE.

Bulgarian experts gained more targeted knowledge of four modules of the Latvian SME training program:

1. Digital marketing
2. Cloud services for SMEs
3. Data protection and privacy
4. Secure online transactions and collaboration

Partnerships for the development of digital knowledge and skills in Latvia

The experts from LIKTA presented the way of creation and development of national and local partnerships for the implementation and promotion of their educational model aimed at the acquisition of ICT skills by owners and employees in SMEs.

The Bulgarian delegation met and held discussions with 15 Latvian experts, researchers and trainers on digital competences, and representatives of the library community.

They gained useful knowledge and information about the library network in Latvia and its main functions and role in developing digital skills for citizens and SMEs.

Experts from the Kursi Library Information Center and Jelgava City Library explained how and what partnerships they are developing to implement various types of digital skills training and digital services in libraries in Latvia (e.g. partnerships with banks, VID, Latvenergo, etc.).

Visit to the National Library of Latvia

During her visit to the National Library of Latvia, Ms. Marta Djiluma from the Library Development Directorate introduced the Bulgarian group to the library’s media literacy and digital skills projects. Ms. Vita Juraga from the Competence Development Directorate presented the programs and projects for training and lifelong learning, as well as the system of the National Library of Latvia for the recognition of non-formal learning.
The activities of the National Library of Latvia for the development of media literacy among children were also presented to the Bulgarian delegation.

The last day of the visit to FGBB ended with an official ceremony at the National Library of Latvia for issuing certificates for the acquired knowledge.

After returning to Bulgaria, the experts from FGBB, the three libraries and small and medium-sized enterprises from the regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora will begin their work on adapting the innovation practices that were presented to them in Latvia. They will develop a curriculum and educational content for the acquisition of digital competences tailored to the needs of Bulgarian SMEs.

Digital skills partner network

The public library in the 21st century – a center for local communities for lifelong learning

In order to successfully transfer the innovative educational model from Latvia to Bulgaria, the project will build broad local partnerships in the three districts of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora. They will unite around public libraries.

In this way, they will develop as a main center for the provision of accessible and flexible forms of informal learning and acquisition of digital competences by those employed in SMEs.

A wide range of interested parties will be invited to participate in the partnership for their construction as the main center for digital competences of those employed by SMEs – regional governments, municipalities, public libraries, NGOs, employers, educational and training institutions.

In connection with the formation of the partnerships, one-day trainings will be held in each area, which will increase the capacity of the interested parties to initiate, develop and implement social innovations aimed at acquiring digital skills by those employed in SMEs.

Presentations from the social innovation trainings for digital skills (available only in Bulgarian):

Innovative educational models

Equal access to flexible non-formal learning processes + broad partnerships

After the partnerships with interested parties in the three regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora are built, the transfer of good practices and innovative models borrowed from the experience of the Latvian partner LIKTA will take place.

An entirely innovative educational model for Bulgarian conditions will be created for the acquisition of digital skills by those employed in SMEs. It will be based on several main elements:
1) the introduction of modern forms of informal learning and flexible learning processes;
2) the participation of the maximum possible circle of interested persons and the target group in the adaptation of the new educational model;
3) using the maximum capacity and potential of regional libraries as centers for digital inclusion.

The very creation of the innovative educational model in the regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora will go through the following steps.

Adaptation of 1 training program on digital competences for employees in SMEs will be carried out, with four modules, with 3 levels for acquiring digital competences:

Digital marketing.
Cloud services for SMEs.
Data protection and privacy.
Secure online transactions and collaboration.

Learning content will be adapted for each level from each of the modules in the curriculum.

An interactive online learning platform based on MOODLE will be built.

The innovative educational program will be based on equal access and flexible processes for informal learning:

blended learning approach: face-to-face, online learning and practical application of acquired knowledge,
a modern online training platform with automated processes,
free access to appropriate spaces, resources, trainers, mentors and partners in public libraries.

For the needs of the future implementation of the curriculum, the capacity of a wide network of trainers will be developed in the three areas – representatives of public libraries, educational and training organizations, businesses, NGOs.
A training aid for training trainers will be provided. You can download the *.pdf format of the help.
Three two-day trainings will be held for 10 digital competence trainers in each of the three districts of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora.

Pilot testing

The library – entrance to the digital world for SMEs

Within the framework of the project, pilot testing of the new educational program will be carried out in order to verify the real effect it can achieve for the development of digital competences of employees in SMEs.

For this purpose, first pilot trainings will be held for a total of 30 employed persons from SMEs in the three districts of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora.

Within one month, the four modules of the new educational program will be tested.

Groups of 10 SME representatives will be formed in each of the three areas.

A blended learning approach will be applied:

online training, through the established modern training platform on the Internet, with automated processes for administration, communication and evaluation.
face to face in regional libraries
practical application of the acquired knowledge, by working on real cases of the SMEs themselves

In regional libraries, with the support of partners and stakeholders, SME representatives will be provided with access to appropriate learning and meeting spaces, resources, trainers, mentors.

In this way, libraries will become a center where owners and employees of SMEs will be able to develop their digital skills through non-formal education methods at a time convenient for them.

Evaluation of the results and dissemination

The library – the third place for digital inclusion after the home and the workplace

Digital Skills for the Small Enterprises in Bulgaria /video/

After the completion of the pilot training, an assessment of the achieved results will be made from the point of view of the applicability of the innovative elements of the new educational model for the acquisition of digital skills by those employed in SMEs from the regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora.

It will trace the logical connection between the planned activities for the transfer of the identified innovative practices and their actual implementation.

The achievement of the project’s goals and results will be tracked, as well as their relationship with meeting the needs of the target group.

Based on the evaluation, a report will be prepared, which will contain useful guidelines for the further development of the innovative educational model in Bulgaria.

In the last phase of the project, measures will be taken to disseminate the results achieved from the adaptation and pilot testing of the innovative educational model.

The goal is for them to reach and be used by the maximum number of interested parties from the development of programs to increase the digital competences of employees in SMEs. Not only in the three regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora, but also throughout the country.

Activities will be undertaken through which the results will reach all over 980 public libraries of the FGBB network, as well as all over 1,400 members of the “Made in Bulgaria” Association.

The results will also be presented to all identified organizations, within the framework of the previously conducted stakeholder analyzes in the Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora regions.

In addition, the results will be presented to stakeholders at the national level from the introduction of social innovations and programs for the acquisition of digital knowledge and skills by those employed in SMEs.

Two tools for developing social innovation and training trainers in digital skills will be distributed. Several round tables will be organized. Several videos will be prepared about the implemented innovations and a campaign will be carried out to popularize the innovative educational model in the media and social networks.

Evaluation of the achieved results from the point of view of the applicability of the innovative elements of the new educational model for the acquisition of digital skills by those employed in SMEs from the regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan and Stara Zagora – An Analysis Report by Lyudmila Atanasova (in Bulgarian)