The 5th transnational project meeting (TPM) of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project “Enabling Sustainable Growth and Transformation of SMEs with a Focus on Work-Based Learning” (GT4SME) took place in a hybrid way between 15. - 17.09.2021. While part of the consortium partners met at N&P Business Consulting in Berlin, Germany, the other partners joined remotely in online sessions.

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The main objective of the project is to support SME-educators in their work in four topic fields to enable sustainable SME growth and transformation eventually. These are Digital Transformation Internationalization, Financial Access, and Impact. In order to improve knowledge and practical experience of the consortium partners, four TPMs have been planned to have a practical thematic aspect dedicated to one of the four project topics. To support work-based learning experience, these TPMs have been planned to incorporate a ‘thematic workshop’ to which the consortium invites a ‘guest SME representative’ (the case-SME) and works on the specific project topic together.

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The specific theme of the 5th TPM was Internationalization. It was spread over three days (15th, 16th and 17th September 2021) and each day had one or two online sessions during which the entire consortium came together. During the meeting sessions consortium partners not only evaluated the overall project progress, but also worked on the final project deliverable of 'digital toolkit', which will be a useful source of information on project’s four topics for SME-educators and SMEs. They discussed and exchanged knowledge on the topic of Internationalization, with a particular focus on SMEs and markets in Germany, Turkey and Balkan region. The workshop with the case-SME, an architecture and renovation company, provided partners with a chance to go deeper into the TPM topic and understand it in the context of the consulting / construction industry.

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As part of project’s dissemination, the consortium has been publishing blogs on the project website and spreading them through the project’s social media accounts (Facebook / Instagram), which present valuable knowledge on project’s four topics; or share best-practice examples from Europe in general and partner countries in particular; or discuss global issues that touch upon project’s scope.

More detailed information on the specific topics and practices covered in the 5th TPM can be followed through above-mentioned social media channels, as the consortium will publish blogs on them in the coming weeks.