Best practices

SME engagement for master curriculum co-creation and joint R&D initiatives

Users: Training Providers (Public) | Theme: Industry Engagement | Action: Education Programmes/Courses | Beneficiaries: Training Providers (Public), Industry, SMEs

CyberSecPro

cybersecpro-project.eu

Kitty Kioskli, CEO & Cofounder, Trustilio

CyberSecPro develops cutting-edge education and training materials available online across the EU. It aims to prepare new workforce generations and up-skill existing professionals to address cybersecurity challenges.
 
To address its diverse target group, the project involves actors from academia and industry. In particular, it includes the establishment of a unique learning factory, to create an environment where innovation, research, industry, academia and SME support are linked, so that cybersecurity training remains relevant and responsive to industry needs.
 
 

The challenge?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face constraints in terms of budget, personnel, and time, which makes it challenging for them to engage in cybersecurity education and training. Designing master programmes that are tailored to their specific needs while also allowing for scalability across different countries adds complexity.
 
Additionally, maintaining SME engagement throughout the programme is difficult due to shifting market conditions and changing business priorities. Ensuring long-term commitment requires a clear value proposition, practical and industry-relevant course content, and dedicated support mechanisms that align with their continuously changing needs.

Our solution

CyberSecPro implemented a co-creation approach, actively involving SMEs in the development of a Cybersecurity Master’s Curriculum. By collaborating with SMEs, the programme ensured that the curriculum integrated industry demands, practical skills, and real-world business scenarios.
 
CyberSecPro implemented joint R&D initiatives between higher education institutions (HEIs) and SMEs. These partnerships aligned academic research with the technological and market-driven needs of SMEs, facilitating knowledge transfer and enhancing the practical application of cybersecurity solutions. 

By bridging academia and industry, this collaboration generated mutual benefits, ensuring that SME engagement remained strong and that cybersecurity training was relevant.

Key takeaways

  1. Flexible Engagement Models: Implement adaptable participation structures that allow SMEs to engage at varying levels based on their resource availability. This will increase accessibility and encourage long-term involvement.
  2. Customisable, SME-Centric Curriculum: Design tailored training programmes that align with the specific needs of SMEs, ensuring content is relevant, practical, and directly applicable to their business contexts.
  3. Ongoing Engagement & Feedback: Establish regular check-ins and feedback loops to maintain SME involvement, allowing training programmes to respond to shifting industry demands and business priorities.
Learn more here

Case Summary–

Context: Fit4internet is a non-profit initiative aimed at enhancing digital literacy across Austria. By using the Digital Competence Framework (DigComp AT), which identifies key components of digital competencies and aligns with European standards, Fit4internet helps individuals showcase their digital skills. The Fit4internet platform offers a way to track and prove digital competencies, helping with employability and ensuring that the Austrian workforce has the necessary ICT skills to meet market demands. Through the digital skills profile platform, the initiative supports both individual growth and the development of a digitally capable society. 

Challenge: The challenge faced is managing proof of competencies acquired through various learning methods, including formal education, non-formal training, and informal certifications, which can lead to inconsistent records.  Securing sustainable funding to support the continuous development of new digital competencies, ensuring that programs remain up-to-date with evolving market needs. The second main challenge was fostering broad participation and engagement, especially among groups who may lack access to digital tools or education.

Identified Approach / Solution: The Fit4internet platform provides a centralised, user-friendly system to manage and showcase digital competencies, aligning with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Through this platform, individuals can track and showcase their digital skills, making it easier for employers, educators, and organisations to assess their talent.

The platform allows users to create an e-portfolio that showcases their digital skills, with the option to share it through a link or as a PDF. This portfolio highlights the digital competencies that a user has acquired, linked to their certificates. These certificates can be formal, non-formal, or informal.

The platform also supports the generation of a digital skills profile that showcases the user’s acquired skills. Users earn digital badges as a visual representation of their skills. This allows them to continue with their learning journey, while showing off their competencies to others.

Outcomes:

 

 

 

Key takeaways:

Fit4internet engage multiple stakeholders from academia, industry, and policy to develop holistic and relevant digital competency frameworks. They also use widely applied frameworks to measure skills gaps, enabling better planning for individuals and institutions. By doing this they improve reinsertion rates into the labor force by addressing individuals digital skill gaps and aligning them with market needs. This benefits companies by providing clear insights into the skillsets that are being developed and that are available in the workforce.