InnoBAW-CH

Project lead
Prof. Dr. Bettina Siecke

Project partner 
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Molzberger, University of Wuppertal 

Project duration
May 2022 – April 2023 

Further education and training in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in Switzerland has been of great significance for many years. Research status regarding the counselling of SMEs on the topic of training and further education for their employees is only described in broad terms. Little is known as to how this form of counselling is run by human resource managers in SMEs or how counselling service providers in Switzerland make their services available and how they are used. At the same time, both SMEs and advisory institutions are undergoing change because of megatrends (such as digitalisation, lack of skilled workers, individualisation etc.) which are also apparent in changes in human resources development and the associated counselling processes.

The aim of the project is, as a preliminary approach, to work out the conditions, developments and changes in counselling for the training and further education of employees in SMEs in Switzerland through human resource managers and counselling experts from external advisory institutions. This should also highlight examples of good counselling practice and its structures and general conditions as well as developments and changes. Questions for the project are therefore as follows: 

1. Which institutions in Switzerland can be described as offering counselling to employers and HR managers in SMEs on training and further education for their staff which is comparable to the Employer Service (AG-S) at the National Employment Agency (BA) in Germany?
2. What changes, challenges and opportunities with regard to good or innovative practice is experienced by HR managers in SMEs in Switzerland concerning counselling on training and further education in their company? 
3. What changes, challenges and opportunities with regard to good or innovative practice is experienced by counselling experts from advisory institutions (with a comparable service to the AG-S at the BA) in Switzerland in the counselling of SMEs on training and further education?

Research and qualitative interviews with HR managers in SMEs and with counselling experts from advisory institutions are carried out to implement the research questions. 

The current project constitutes follow-up research (Phase II). It builds on the results of the two-year project "Beratung zur Aus- und Weiterbildung – innovative Praxis aus Sicht von AG-S und KMU" (Counselling on Training and Further Education - innovative practice from an AG-S and SME perspective) (InnoBAW) which was carried out at the HdBA between May 2021 and April 2023 (Phase I). The main project (Phase I) discussed the extent to which counselling in training and further education in SMEs in Germany was perceived from the perspective of HR managers and from counselling experts from the AG-S at the BA, and what changes, challenges and opportunities in counselling were connected to that. The study was carried out using a mixed-methods design (surveys and interviews). 

The results of the follow-up project should provide an overview of the relevant institutions with counselling services for training and further education in SMEs in Switzerland. The results should also provide information on counselling practice in SMEs, their structures, general conditions, developments and perspectives. The project also aims to put together example cases of good and innovative counselling practice from the perspective of HR managers and external counselling experts for a systematic overview (synopsis). "Preliminary recommendations for good counselling practice and innovative developments for counselling in training and further education in SMEs in Switzerland" are also worked out. The findings from both projects (Phase I and II) are to be made available as a help in daily practice for experts who are interested (HR managers, counselling experts, Chambers of Commerce, employers' associations etc.). Findings should also flow into a project proposal with European partners and be taken into account in lectures at the HdBA.