Understanding the training needs of European social enterprises in the face of technological transformation

The analysis of the application forms received in the SocialTech4EU – Open call for social enterprises for financial support for training reveals key insights into the training needs and aspirations for digitalization and technological development among the 212 applicants from 24 European countries.

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Turkey. (The call was open during (the Call was open during 8 February – 2 April 2023).

Top training areas selected by social enterprises

1. Business Administration, Marketing, and Sales: This area emerges as the top priority for training, with 157 mentions. Organizations express a significant need to enhance their skills in managing, marketing, and selling their products or services effectively.
2. ICT Skills (Information and Communications Technology): Following closely, ICT skills, both basic and advanced, are identified as crucial for 115 organizations. This highlights a strong demand for digital literacy and the ability to use new technologies.
3. Emerging Technologies for the Social Economy: With 74 mentions, training in emerging technologies indicates a keen interest among organizations to explore innovative solutions that can support their social missions.
4. Open Innovation: 73 organizations have expressed a need to learn more about open innovation, pointing to a desire to adopt more collaborative and outward-looking approaches to innovation.

Specific needs include enhancing online sales capabilities, digital marketing, project management, and technology application in operations.

Respondents expressed a need to improve in various areas, including:

• Management skills: Enhancing management capabilities to increase organizational visibility and efficiency.
• Marketing and sales: Developing marketing and sales skills to boost visibility and engagement within the community.
• Digital competencies: Gaining proficiency in digital tools, including organization management software for nonprofits, spreadsheets, databases, and social media marketing, with a special mention of SEO optimization and IoT (Internet of Things) applications for monitoring and enhancing user engagement with their services.
• Administrative efficiencies: Training on administrative tasks to streamline operations and reduce inefficiencies.

What social enterprises expect to achieve through training

Respondents expect the training to:

• Support organizational growth: There’s a strong belief that enhancing skills in the identified areas will lead to organizational growth and improvement in activities.
• Enhance digital presence and advocacy: Improved digital skills are seen as crucial to enhancing the organization’s advocacy power, fostering awareness, and improving the effectiveness of communication.
• Data-driven strategy planning: Utilizing IoT and digital tools for data collection and analysis is expected to aid in evidence-based strategy planning.
• Improve online sales and branding: There’s a specific focus on improving online sales and social media branding, recognizing the importance of digital channels in today’s world.

The broad objective across responses is to enhance the organization’s operational efficiency, digital presence, and community engagement through targeted training.

There is a clear trend towards digital transformation, with a focus on digital skills, online presence, and the use of emerging technologies to support organizational strategies.

Respondents are looking for training to directly support their transition towards more efficient, digitally integrated operational models, with an emphasis on growth, better management, and enhanced marketing strategies.

Shared and unique training needs across countries

The analysis of the 212 application forms reveals several country-specific trends and differences in training needs across the countries represented in the responses.

• Italy, Romania, and Germany show the highest number of responses, indicating a strong interest or need for training in these countries.
• Training areas: The data indicates a wide range of training needs across different countries. For instance:
  • Italy shows a significant interest in ICT (Information and Communications Technology), Business administration, marketing, and sales, as well as emerging technologies for the social economy.
  • Romania also shows a strong focus on ICT, Business administration, marketing, and sales.
  • Germany has a diverse range of training needs with a noticeable interest in Business administration, marketing, and sales, ICT, and emerging technologies.
• Emerging Technologies for the Social Economy is a notable area of interest in countries like Italy, Slovakia, and Spain, suggesting a trend towards integrating new technologies within social sectors.
• ICT (Information and Communications Technology) is a common area of training need across many countries, highlighting the universal importance of digital skills.

Patterns

• There’s a clear pattern of demand for business-related skills (such as business administration, marketing, and sales) and technological skills (ICT and emerging technologies), which are prevalent across multiple countries.
• Countries with higher response rates (e.g., Italy, Romania, Germany) show a broader range of training needs, possibly reflecting a more diverse organizational landscape or a higher recognition of the importance of continuous skill development.
• Smaller countries or those with fewer responses (e.g., Finland, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina) still show interest in ICT and business administration, indicating these areas are universally recognized as essential for organizational development and competitiveness.

While there are differences in the scale of responses, the core areas of training need—ICT, business skills, and emerging technologies—are consistent across countries, suggesting a widespread recognition of these key competencies for organizational growth and adaptation in the social economy.

A trend towards technological proficiency and business acumen can be observed across the board, with specific interest in emerging technologies indicating a forward-looking approach among social economy organizations in Europe.

Insights from the SocialTech4Eu open call for training reveal a keen interest in leveraging training to address both immediate operational needs and long-term strategic goals, reflecting a holistic approach to organizational development in the social economy sector.