For SMEs, navigating the digital transformation starts with a tailored training programme

Having spent the better part of three years designing and delivering short-term training courses for small and medium-sized enterprises, SME4DD has learned a thing or two about providing SME professionals with the essential skills and knowledge they need to navigate and leverage the digital innovations that are defining our future.

As the project comes to a close, its coordinating partners are sharing their expertise, best practices and practical tips that SMEs can use to find a training programme that best fits their needs.

According to the EU’s Digital Decade strategy, which sets goals for the digital transformation of businesses, by 2030, three out of four EU companies should be using cloud computing services, big data, or artificial intelligence. Within that same timeframe, more than 90% of SMEs should achieve at least a basic level of digital intensity.

“SMEs equipped with digital capabilities are better positioned to navigate disruptions and sustain operations amidst crises,” says a new Eurochambres paper on the Digital Decade Policy Programme. “Beyond resilience, digitalisation fuels innovation, driving sustainable growth and unlocking new opportunities for entrepreneurship and job creation.”

That being said, Europe still has a long way to go in achieving its digital goals. As of 2024, only 13% of EU enterprises were using AI technologies, while 73% of SMEs had advanced their digital transformation[1]. Furthermore, only 55.6% of Europeans are equipped with the basic digital skills needed to use such technologies.

With 2030 rapidly approaching, what needs to be done to help accelerate the digitalisation of SMEs?

“When it comes to successfully navigating the digital transformation, European small companies face a myriad of challenges,” explains Asja Kamenica, Head of Professional School at 28Digital, the coordinating partner of the SME4DD project. “For example, while information is the key to unlocking the digital transformation, in some cases, it can be a barrier.” 

“What we see again and again is not a lack of information, but the opposite – that SMEs are overwhelmed by tools, trends and promises,” adds author and expert in creating digital impact for businesses Staffan Movin, who helped design several of the project’s courses. “The real problem is knowing what not to focus on.”

SME4DD is an EU-funded project under the EU’s Digital Europe Programme, which focuses on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens and public administrations. It does this by supporting projects in such key capacity areas and advanced digital skills, as well as supporting SMEs in their digital transformations. The SME4DD project helps advance this mission by providing tailored training to SMEs and SME professionals in essential technologies like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and blockchain. 

28DIGITAL is Europe’s digital innovation engine, a multi-stakeholder platform rooted in European values and open to the world. It is dedicated to turning knowledge into innovation, scaling startups into global ventures, and building the next generation of digital talent to shape a fair, competitive, and human-centric digital future.

[1]https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Towards_Digital_Decade_targets_for_Europe#Digital_transformation_of_businesses

Another big barrier to digitalisation is a general lack of resources. “SMEs simply don’t have the budget, time or personnel they need to invest into new digital tools, upgrade infrastructure or adopt emerging technologies,” says Movin. “And if they are fortunate enough to have the budget to bring in new digital solutions, they may still lack the in-house expertise needed to use those technologies effectively.”

Many SMEs also don’t have a clear strategy for integrating new solutions into existing workflows. “Some SMEs adopt new tools in isolation rather than as part of an overarching strategy, while others struggle to integrate new solutions into legacy systems, both of which make digitalisation unnecessarily complex and thus less likely to succeed,” notes Kamenica.

Even when a company has the budget, expertise and strategy to onboard a new digital technology, there’s still the issue of getting your team to accept the change. “Staff uncertainty about a solution or a lack of organisational readiness can significantly slow or derail one’s digital efforts,” adds Movin.

The good news is that there is a proven route that every SME can take to help overcome these challenges. That route starts with training.

As reported by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), SMEs with strong digital capabilities tend to invest more in their people. In fact, managers of highly digitalised SMEs are far more likely to see training as a priority, while in less digitalised firms, only about one in three consider training essential.

According to a Business Europe report, many companies face difficulties adopting digital technologies – a difficulty that can at least in part be traced to a lack of continuous training. And that lack of training is the result of a general lack of resources. That could explain why although many SMEs recognise the need for digital know-how, the actual provision of training remains limited. Based on Cedefop data, only 21% of SMEs in the EU offered ICT training to their employees in 2024, compared with over 40% of medium-sized enterprises and around 70% of large firms.

Without the time or money needed to properly research training options and invest in the one that actually addresses their specific needs, many SMEs take the easy route and opt for a ‘bargain priced, off-the-shelf’ solution.

But Movin recommends forgoing generic training for guidance that is company specific and adapted to an SME’s unique reality. “SMEs don’t need another overview of digital trends, they need someone to help them decide – very concretely – what to do on Monday morning with the resources they actually have,” he says. “Training only works when it starts from that reality.”

According to Kamenica, tailored training such as that offered by the SME4DD project helps SMEs navigate the digital transformation by building essential skills, boosting adoption, reducing disruption and fostering a growth mindset. “By focusing on practical, tech-specific learning like AI, blockchain or cybersecurity, tailored training can address an SME’s unique pain points, ensure that their tech aligns with their goals, and empower employees to drive innovation – ultimately increasing efficiency, competitiveness and long-term success,” she adds.

Tailored training is also key to helping SME professionals and jobseekers upskill or reskill with the digital skills of tomorrow.

While often used interchangeably, upskilling and reskilling serve different purposes. Upskilling enhances an employee’s existing skills to help them perform their current role more effectively, such as training a marketing executive in advanced data analytics. Reskilling, on the other hand, equips employees with entirely new skills that help them transition into a different role within the company. An example of reskilling would be training a sales associate to work in digital marketing. 

In order to improve both upskilling and reskilling within SMEs, Business Europe notes that ‘it appears necessary to establish increasingly close relations between companies and training institutions’.

A good example of such collaboration is the SME4DD project.

After carefully studying the digital needs of SMEs from across Europe, the project’s partners developed a catalogue of practical, skill-focused training that, in line with the European Skills Agenda, helps upskill and reskill the European workforce.

Each training module takes participants – technical or non-technical – on a structured curriculum, starting with foundational principles and advancing to complex, cutting-edge applications. “Our courses are carefully designed to provide SME professionals with the essential skills and knowledge they need to navigate and leverage the digital innovations that are defining our future,” adds Movin.

Designed to equip SME professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate their digital transformation, the Executive Programme in Strategic Digital Technologies covers the role of data management in business decisions, ethical and legal considerations in digital adoption, and leadership skills for implementing these changes effectively. Each module features real-world scenarios, SME-specific case studies, and actionable skills, ensuring that every participant walks away with practical insights they can immediately apply to their organisation.

“With tailored, short-term training opportunities such as our Executive Programme, SMEs can transform digital adoption from a daunting challenge into a strategic advantage, equipping their people to innovate and compete effectively,” concludes Kamenica. 

Developed as part of the SME4DD project and with the aim of advancing the EU SME Strategy’s goal of boosting SME uptake of digital technologies, the Executive Programme is crafted in partnership with Talent Garden, Hyper Island, and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

Although the course’s curriculum is currently being updated, you can already register your interest and receive priority access once registration opens.