Next Generation SMEs: promoting succession planning for family-led businesses

The NextSMEs project aims to provide current and future owners of small and medium-sized family businesses (SMEs) with the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure the continuity, sustainability and success of their businesses beyond the third generation. In this context, the project focuses on responding to the specific needs of these businesses, addressing challenges related to succession, market adaptation and long-term business sustainability.

To achieve this goal, NextSMEs will develop a vocational education and training (VET) programme specifically designed for family SMEs. This programme will offer a balanced mix of skills and learning opportunities with practical and personalised content, aligned with the demands of the evolving labour market. The project will also seek to modernise the vocational training system to make it more attractive and innovative, using participatory and co-creative approaches, and to improve the processes of recognition and validation of competences through micro-credentials, which will enable a more dynamic and professional environment for these family businesses.

NextSMEs addresses three key priorities of the Erasmus+ programme:

1. Adapting vocational training to the needs of the labour market: The project develops a flexible, learner-centred VET programme specifically designed for current and future owners of family SMEs. An online course is proposed to address current and future challenges of these enterprises, including professionalisation, decision-making, succession and internal conflict resolution. This approach aims to prepare family entrepreneurs to face the demands of the labour market, ensuring that enterprises remain competitive and sustainable in a constantly changing business environment.
2. Increasing flexibility of opportunities in vocational education and training: NextSMEs aims to close existing gaps in access to training for working-age adults and family business owners through innovative and adaptive educational approaches. The project will conduct a participatory SWOT analysis to identify the specific training needs of these businesses, and from there, develop a curriculum that addresses issues such as business succession, financial sustainability and family conflict management.
3. Contribution to innovation in vocational training: The project promotes the creation of a digital training curriculum that will be offered as an open educational resource (OER) and integrated into VET programmes at European level. This will enable VET providers to adapt their methods and content to the specific needs of family SMEs, fostering innovation and long-term sustainability.

Concrete outputs of the project include a transnational report on the situation of family SMEs in Europe, a training curriculum with micro-credentials covering crucial aspects such as succession planning, financial management and professionalisation, and an online educational platform where SME owners will be able to access the training modules and participate in local pilot activities to test and validate the contents. In addition, a strategic plan for succession planning and conflict resolution in family businesses will be developed, together with a cross-cutting plan for sustainability, dissemination and monitoring of the project’s impact.

The project partners are Germany, Cyprus, Belgium, Italy and Spain.