Education, training and learning in SMEs: an international

Citation

Matlay, H. (2003), "Education, training and learning in SMEs: an international", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445haa.001

Education, training and learning in SMEs: an international

Dr Harry Matlay is reader in SME Development at the University of Central England, Birmingham, UK. He specializes in VET, entrepreneurship education, organisational learning and knowledge management in SMEs. Prior to joining UCE, he worked in senior positions in industry, as an entrepreneur and international business consultant, and as a researcher at University of Warwick, UK. He joined the UCE Business School in 1998 and currently contributes to the research activities of the business school. He is the editor of the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development (JSBED).

Issues 8 and 9 of the 45th volume of Education + Training are dedicated to the topic of education, training and learning in SMEs. It is the fourth double special issue in a series of prestigious and successful research compilations that aims to focus exclusively upon one of the most important sectors of economic activity in both developed and developing nations. The prestige of the series is derived largely from the empirical rigour and research orientation of published articles, as well as from its relevance to, and focus on, established and emergent aspects of vocational education and training in SMEs. These are widely acknowledged for disseminating both conventional academic articles and pioneering work by established authors, as well as newcomers to this growing field of research. The series’ success rests upon the continuity and notable impact that these have had upon theory, practice and policy in the UK and abroad. In addition, positive feedback on the series highlights its use as a teaching tool in business schools across continents, including the best universities in Europe, Asia, Australia, as well as North and South America. I have come across reviews and translations written in several languages and was shown Russian, Chinese and Japanese reprints of selected articles and compilations.

Copyrights notwithstanding, I found academic recognition and positive stakeholder feedback reassuring and gratifying. Few authors can claim to receive feedback on their publications and, as a privileged editor, I endeavour to pass on these suggestions and comments to committed contributors. Regretfully, however, most of the feedback is verbal, mentioned in telephone conversations, highlighted at research meetings or delivered during national and international conferences. In my experience, relevant feedback would be much more effective if commentators would contact contributors directly with their feedback and suggestions for further research. As an author, I know just how important positive or constructive feedback can be, in terms of stakeholder interest and future research developments. With the wisdom of retrospection, I feel that even negative feedback is better than silence or indifference: at least it shows that someone has read and commented upon an article that is often the result of considerable intellectual, financial and time commitments. Otherwise, some researchers might assume that there is little or no interest in, or appreciation of, their commitment, expertise and hard work.

Few would disagree that our field is an expanding topic of research and of growing interest/relevance to an ever-expanding group of stakeholders. Nevertheless, some aspects of VET in SMEs are under-developed or represent neglected aspects of entrepreneurship and small business development. Obviously, a great deal more research is needed in order to fill the gaps and consolidate previous results and findings. Many researchers active in the UK and abroad share both my excitement and apprehension in relation to the expanding volume of VET research in SMEs and its probable future direction. As a member of a growing research community I am reassured by the confidence that we have in the value and the impact of our commitment: I am convinced that the way forward is exciting and positive. In my opinion, there can be no return to a research past that lacked the focus, importance and commitment of other, better-established areas of mainstream academic endeavour. The future of our field of research is largely dependent on us, and co-operation across theoretical, practical and methodological boundaries would ensure the recognition and the impact that it amply deserves.

The special edition comprises 14 articles that cover a variety of perspectives and approaches to the topic of education, training and learning in SMEs. In the first article, De Faoite, Henry, Johnston and van der Sijde examine and compare the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training and support initiatives in Ireland and The Netherlands. The authors highlight the failure of many programmes and initiatives to take on board the particular needs of entrepreneurs in developing training and support systems. In the second article, Massey, Tweed and Lewis focus upon the BIZ programme in New Zealand. Their article reports on the experiences and views of the BIZ training providers. It appears that most of the respondents were enthusiastic about BIZ and made major changes within their organisations to ensure the effectiveness of training. The authors conclude that effective training is most likely to be delivered by providers that are versatile in the multitude of tasks inherent in developing the skills of individuals in a way that makes it possible for them to improve the performance of their businesses. In the next article, Paul Hannon presents a conceptual development framework for management and leadership learning in the UK incubator sector. The author concludes that in the context of SME incubators there is significant potential for the development of comprehensive portfolios of learning opportunities. Some of these opportunities could be regarded as core or generic, while others would be contextually specific. The article by Paul Robertson focuses upon the role of training and skilled labour in the success of SMEs in developing economies. He highlights the fact that SMEs operating in these countries often lack the knowledge and resources to engage in training programs. Therefore, their success in upgrading technologically would depend upon subsidised educational and the training infrastructure provided by their governments.

In the fifth article, Ibrahim, Soufani and Lam examine family business training in a Canadian context. It appears that most of the training activities in Canadian family businesses tend to be limited and perceived as an expense rather than an asset that enhances future growth and development of the firm. The authors provide a training framework and a coherent strategy that highlights the key elements of a national training agenda for Canadian small family firms. Collins, Buhalis and Peters focus on enhancing the business performance of SMTEs through the Internet and e-learning platforms. The authors investigate SMTEs in the European hotel sector and their utilisation of the Internet and online learning systems. It emerges that respondents recognise that integrating technology with training will become a management challenge in the future, yet it is not considered a priority for many SMTEs. The authors conclude that SMTEs are willing to engage in online learning and that their ability to embrace e-learning is crucial to their future success. The seventh article provides an evaluation of entrepreneurship education in contemporary China. Li, Zhang and Matlay present a conceptual and contextual analysis of recent developments in entrepreneurial education in innovative Chinese business schools. It emerges that although still in its developmental stage, entrepreneurship education in China incorporates a variety of types and models, operating across the wider HEI sector. The authors recommend that entrepreneurship education in HEIs should be integrated into a coherent vocational education and training framework that covers all the important sectors of economic activity in contemporary China.

In the eighth article, Sally Sambrook focuses on the potential role of electronic learning in SMEs. Her article draws upon research conducted in the North Wales region of the UK and explores employee perceptions of, and employer attitudes to, e-learning in smaller firms. The author provides a model that identifies dimensions of, and factors influencing, e-learning from both employer and employee perspectives. The next article is dedicated to the role of e-mentoring in entrepreneurial education and support. Lew Perren provides a comprehensive meta-review of the academic literature on this emergent topic of SME research. He concludes that current research falls short of a robust evaluation of e-mentoring theory and practice. By drawing upon a range of associated research the author provides helpful examples of practice, as well as tentative advice on the introduction of such schemes. In the tenth article, Derek Kosbab presents a perspective on VET, which proposes that vocational competence is dependent upon dispositional development, which, in turn, results in moves towards maturation. The author’s findings have important ramifications for the future of VET and competence-based training (CBT) since maturation emerges as a subset of competence in every vocational skill domain. In the next article, David Rae introduces the concept of opportunity centred learning (OCL) as an innovative approach to enterprise education. The relationship between OCL and enterprise education theory and practice is outlined and supported by illustrative examples. The author outlines the benefits and limitations attributable to OCL and proposes a number of pertinent recommendations for further developments in this innovative aspect of enterprise education. The twelfth article, by Sonja Treven, is dedicated to international training in general, and the training of managers for assignments abroad in particular. The author introduces a number of training methods that could be applied in the development of managers from different cultures.

In the next article, Taylor and Plummer focus their research upon the role of entrepreneurship and human capital in the promotion of local economic growth. The authors propose a starting point for the translation of economic theory into useable policy on local economic growth by identifying and prioritising the drivers of growth in a range of relevant theories. They attribute an important role to entrepreneurship education in the local development process in the UK, one that is only now beginning to be developed by the higher education sector. In the final article, Allan and Lawless investigate the stress caused by on-line collaboration in e-learning. The authors suggest that stress could be “designed out” of on-line collaborative projects through better management of the relevant working processes. Following the growing trend in both education and management towards increased on-line working and collaboration, Allan and Lawless highlight the need for further research into ways that could help reduce associated stress.

In planning, organizing and delivering this special edition I have benefited from the commitment, goodwill and assistance of many individuals. Sincere thanks are due to all the contributors and the referees involved in this endeavour, for their hard work and commitment. Thanks are due to Dr Rick Holden, the editor of Education + Training, for facilitating the series and to Ms Paula Fernandez, managing editor of the journal, for her patience with, and unwavering confidence in, my annual promise to deliver to an agreed deadline. I am yet again indebted to my own managing editor, Mr Paul Wood, for his assistance. His sense of humor and professional support were much appreciated.

Education, training and learning in SMEs: an international perspective

Harry MatlayUCE Business School, Birmingham, UK.