InnoBAW

Project lead
Prof. Dr. Bettina Siecke

Project staff
Prof. Dr. Jendrik Petersen
Dr. Jens-R. Olesch

Duration
June 2021 – April 2023

The training and further training in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) has been a topic of interest for many years. At the same time, little is known about how counselling for training and further training by human resources managers actually works and what is offered by Employer Services at the National Employment Agency in this regard. It is also somewhat unclear how so-called megatrends have an effect on counselling processes and how they lead to changes. This study aims to close such gaps in research.

The research project »Counselling in training and further training - innovative practice from an AG-S and SME perspective« (InnoBAW) aims to identify current practices in counselling for training and further training in SMEs and to make this diversity and its developments transparent.

The intention of the study is to find out what challenges are perceived by human resources managers in SMEs due to megatrends and how they want and have to adapt on this basis regarding their own counselling services for training and further training . It also needs to be established how they fall back on external counselling services (e.g. Employer Services at the National Employment Agency, chambers, associations). It can be assumed that human resources managers in SMEs also develop extended new forms of counselling alongside the more traditional ones to support the professional development opportunities for employees. 

From the perspective of the Employer Services at the National Employment Agency, insights are to be generated as to the experience counselling experts have with regard to counselling in training and further training at SMEs - also concerning qualification counselling. The aim is to also find out what experience and insights the counselling experts have concerning the counselling given by human resources managers in SMEs.

In more detail, the study examines the following issues:

• In what way do human resources managers in SMEs implement internal and external counselling in the training and further training of their employees in their own companies, and what changes, challenges and opportunities do they experience in this counselling process? 
• In what way do counselling experts for Employer Services at the National Employment Agency advise SMEs regarding the training and further training of their employees, what is their experience with practical counselling through human resources managers in SMEs, and what changes, challenges and opportunities to they see in relation to the counselling process? 

The intention of the research project is examined based on quantitative surveys and subsequently qualitative interviews .

Between May 2022 and April 2023, parallel to the project, follow-up research will be carried out. Here, the aforementioned issues will be investigated with regard to Switzerland. Qualitative interviews with SMEs and the relevant counselling services in Switzerland will also be carried out.

The findings of this project include examples of current and also solid and innovative counselling practice (case studies etc.) in Germany in systematic documentation. They are recorded in a "practice manual". Documentation on "Guidelines for counselling practice for training and further training in SMEs in Switzerland" is planned as further research. The results of both parts of the project are available to those interested (human resources managers in SMEs, counselling experts in Employer Services at the National Employment Agency, in chambers, in employers associations etc.) as a practical aid. The findings will also be used to develop, test and evaluate teaching and learning units for the education and further training of students at the HdBA. Project results will be documented on the homepage on an ongoing basis.