The ESMERALD training curricula:
COVID micro and SMEs response toolkit
Evidence from the ESMERALD project transnational analysis (https://esmerald.eu/report.php) indicates that the European SMEs need innovative and appropriate training that takes account of renewed risks and enables them to face new challenges and reap the benefits of new opportunities.
The ESMERALD project partners carried out a detailed and very comprehensive report which highlighted:
• social, psychological, political, institutional and economic factors are important for resilience and maintaining the competitiveness of SMEs in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• remote work, public aid and flexible work arrangements were particularly important in the event of the COVID-19 outbreak;
• The development of new technologies in SMEs is a necessity
The main areas of the ESMERALD training material are (i) Online / digital marketing / cyber-security; (ii) E-commerce / Financing (iii) Digital Well-Being.
All partners of ESMERALD elaborated the training content, constituting the “COVID micro and SMEs response toolkit” (intellectual output 3) of the project, which tackle the following educations areas:
| Area | TOPIC | Developed by: |
| 1. Online / Digital Marketing / Cyber-Security | Maintaining the new online clientele and accommodating the needs of digital and non-digital generations | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) |
| Increasing the level of customer service | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) | |
| Focusing on listening to customers | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) | |
| Ways of building strong relationships with clients and meeting their various needs | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) | |
| Implementing the omnichannel model and increasing convenience | Internet Web Solutions (IWS) | |
| Increasing the level of security of online transactions | Internet Web Solutions (IWS) | |
| EU Framework and Resources for Cybersecurity of SMEs | Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires (IHF) | |
| Business models based on flexible organizational structures – implementation of new technologies, digitization strategy | Mercatus et Civis Foundation | |
| 2. E-Commerce / Financing | ||
| Use of cloud computing solutions | Internet Web Solutions (IWS) | |
| Development of new e-commerce / m-commerce channels | Internet Web Solutions (IWS) | |
| Use of cashless solutions | Cracow University of Economics (CUE) | |
| Value proposition in post-pandemic business models: innovative approaches to marketing | IDP European Consultants | |
| 3. Digital Well-Being | ||
| Workload and the quality of work organization | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) | |
| Health and work-life balance disorders | University of Dubrovnik (UNIDU) | |
| Psychological needs and mental well-being | University of Dubrovnik (UNIDU) | |
| 4. Smart Work / Digital Nomads | Remote work regulations and practice of using them | Cracow University of Economics (CUE) |
| Flexible solutions in working time | South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) | |
| Special suspension of some social employer’s obligation | Cracow University of Economics (CUE) | |
| State aid to co-finance the jobs | Cracow University of Economics (CUE) | |
| Net-iquette in business contexts | Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires (IHF) | |
| Work-Life Balance in Tele-Working Settings | IDP European Consultants | |
| Available state aid for entrepreneurs – tailor-made solutions + where to find them | Mercatus et Civis Foundation | |
The full training curricula is available in multilanguage version and open-access format via the official Open Educational Resource Platform of ESMERALD: https://esmerald.eu/toolkit.php
