This document outlines the objectives and partners of the Healthy Learning in SMEs project funded by the European Commission. The project aims to raise awareness of learning in the workplace and help SMEs establish prerequisites for sustainable learning environments to improve employee health and competitiveness. It lists the contact details of the partner organizations involved in the project from 6 European countries.

2. The Healthy Learning in SMEs project has been funded with
support from the European Commission. The views
expressed in this publication are those of the author and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.

3. Project Website: www.healthylearning.eu
Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie (German Academy of Employees)
Sonnenallee 223
DE – D-12059 Berlin
http://www.daa-berlin.de/
Contact person: Anette Deharde-Rau
Email: adeharde@daatranspro.de
Pixel Associazione
Via Luigi Lanzi 12
IT – 50134 Florence
http://www.pixel-online.net
Contact person: Federico Fragasso,
Email: federico@pixel-online.net

4. Centrul de Inovare si Dezvoltare de Afaceri - CIDAF
Str. Baciului, Nr2, Bl 14, Ap.82
RO - Bucharest
http://www.cidaf.ro
Contact person: Domnica Cotet
Email: domnica.cotet@cidaf.ro
University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, Institute of Economics
/ UITM
ul. Sucharskiego 2
PL – 35-225 Rzeszów
http://www.ig.wsiz.pl
Contact person: Dr. Maciej Piotrowski
Email: mpiotrowski@wsiz.rzeszow.pl
Makro Yonetim Gelistirme Danismanlik Limited Sirketi
Paris Caddesi 6/7
TK - Ankara
http://www.makroconsult.com.tr/
Contact person: Ipek Incesculu
Email: info@makroconsult.com.tr

5. Florida Centre de Formació – Florida UniversitariaEuropa-Universität Viadrina Postfach 1786
C/ Rei en Jaume I, 2
ES - 46470 - Catarroja – Valencia
http://www.florida.es
Contact person: Maria Amparo Camacho
Email: acamacho@florida-uni.es
Edinburgh Napier University
Employment Research Institute
Colinton Road 210
UK – EH14 1DJ Edinburgh
http://www.napier.ac.uk/eri
Contact person: Dr. Matthew Dutton
Email: m.dutton@napier.ac.uk

6. SMEs are an important part of the economy of the EU. According to
the European Commission of Enterprise and Industry, 99% of all
European businesses have 250 employees or less. However SMEs
in the EU have less productivity and grow more slowly than their
counterparts in the United States. Therefore it is important to
strengthen the performance of European SMEs.
One way of doing so is by encouraging all employees to engage in
lifelong learning activities in the workplace. There is however
evidence to suggest that SMEs engagement with lifelong learning
activities has been limited and that there is scope to improve their
engagement in learning related activities.

7. To improve SME engagement with learning activities, the project will
adapt materials developed in a former EU project entitled Health
Tutor in adult education to the needs of SMEs in the 6 EU partner
countries.
In particular the project has the following objectives:
• To raise awareness within SMEs of learning at the workplace
• To raise awareness and train SMEs in setting up prerequisites for
learning at the workplace
• To establish the prerequisites and to find ways for sustainable
learning environment in their workplace
• To improve the general health of employees in SMEs
• To ensure the competitiveness of the SMEs

9. SMEs are well aware of the fact that they need
well-trained staff in order to stay competitive. To
achieve that goal, offering trainings is a common
means.
What is not in the focus so far, is the relevance
and the importance of informal learning at the
workplace.

10. Increasing job dissatisfaction on employees’ side
 missing approval from employers
 increasing job pressure and stress
 time pressure and tight deadlines
 fear of job loss

11.  raising awareness towards the
importance of informal learning
 make contents and results of informal
learning visible , both for employers and
employees

13. Employers are aware of the necessity to invest on human
capital and - to a certain extent - they are willing to allocate
financial resources on it.
On the other hand, though, managers’ paternalistic approach
and hierarchical companies structure reduce effectiveness of
training activities
Preponderance of formal over informal learning. Poor
understanding, on employees’ side, of nature of informal
learning

14. Ineffectiveness of learning activities
 Poor knowledge of employees’ actual working needs
 Lack of communication between management and
employees
 Lack of clear recognition/approval

15. • Relying more on employees’ evaluation for organization of
learning activities
• Improving team building activities and participation of
employees in company’s policy and strategic decisions
• linking productivity to an incentive system (not necessarily
economic)

17. Low level of involvement of employers in organizing training
activities for employees
Companies frequently neglect the necessity to further
improve competencies of employees
Lack of a work-related training culture

18. Training remains under the influence of schools and universities
which are usually too remote from the practical side and rarely
cooperate with economic entities or the third sector
Companies located in rural areas have lower access to external
vocational education opportunities
Lack of regulations under which learning at work could be
considered as important as formal learning in higher education

19. • Providing information on training opportunities, especially
concerning their funding possibility
• Providing National Databases with educational institutions
and their training offers
• Reducing the gap between skills achieved in formal
education and those required in the workplace
• Reduction of the obstacles and costs of educational
activities

21. In-house training activities are not a top priority in terms of public
policy and organizational culture. SMEs are not encouraged to, or
assisted in, developing workplace learning environment
The national and regional authorities tend to overlook the
importance of informal learning in favor of perfecting standards
and norms related to formal learning
Proportion of enterprises providing vocational training to their
employees is low, especially among small and micro businesses

22. Lack of specific strategic knowledge and instruments. The
ways the employers define their strategic plans are rather
superficial
Accordingly, employees are not aware of proper strategic
objectives, if not in very general terms
Employees’ satisfaction is mainly related to employer’s interest
in their view and opinion

23. • Improving communication with the employees and
developing in-house learning activities, methods
and tools
• collecting data from the environment and raising
interest for innovative information technologies

25. Preponderance of Highly Traditional Family Business
Limited importance given to learning activities
Lack of proper legal environment in order to stimulate
SME’s to facilitate in-house training

26. High paternalistic and power-distance tendencies of SME
owners
Lack of satisfactory social security/strong workers’
organizations and chronic unemployment push
employees to reach for their employer’s patronage
job satisfaction is highly influenced by the owners’ socio-
cultural orientations

28. Within small firms main focus is on informal transfer of skills,
training and knowledge among employees
 training activities may not be as identifiable or clear
cut as those taking place in larger firms
Businesses that are viewed by their owner-managers as
lifestyle businesses are unlikely to be growth driven
 they might be more resistant to the use of informal
training programmes

29. limited access to knowledge and understanding of
workplace health related issues
lack of understanding of the positive impacts of HLE
activities
demands on the time and resources of the business
cause HLE matters to become a lesser priority

30. Since public credibility are seen to be important aspects of
developing sustainable and profitable businesses, employers may
choose to implement training to fulfil certain moral responsibilities
Employers that establish a clear link between engagement in
training, the acquisition of skills and improvements in job
prospects are likely to create strong incentives for engagement in
learning activities
Approaches that adopt modern technology are seen to provide a
greater level of control and convenience for SME owners and
managers, given the limited time and resources to devote to
understanding the issue of HLE in the workplace