Between October and November, the European Social Fund Agency (P8) organised four different meetings with its regional stakeholders to present the 40Ready project, its objectives, planned results as well as the international experience of the partnership. Aim of this sequence of meetings was to set up with all its regional relevant stakeholders a working methodology since the very beginning of the project.
On these occasions, the main political and business representatives such as Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Ministry of Economy and Innovation, Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Lithuanian Innovation Centre, Lithuanian Industrialist Confederation (LPK), Panevezys municipality Development Unit, Agency for Science and Innovation and Technology (MITA) were involved in discussions.
Meetings have been conducted as working in groups in which stakeholders shared their opinion trying to set the scene and understand what has already been done and what is currently lacking in order to strengthen SME capacities according to I4.0. During the Stakeholders meeting, participants tried to identify possible areas of impact as well as to increase communication and cooperation between 3 main ministries in the field of I4.0.
In order to collect information aimed to set the scene for the work methodology, the European Social Fund Agency will have important contributions provided by its regional stakeholders:
- Lithuanian Industrialist Confederation (LPK), who represents public interests of all business groups in Lithuania and Panevezio municipality, who is one of the leading regions in Lithuania, had already conducted several useful studies such as “Panevezys region Industry4.0 development needs analysis and proposals” and “Strategy for developing Industry4.0 in Panevezys region 2019–2023”. It was agreed to share the surveys and their findings of businesses need according to I4.0, that Panevezys and LPK possess, as well as the information about the various events they have organized for businesses in order to raise awareness of the importance of I4.0.
- An active role has been then played by representatives from Ministry of Economy and Innovation (EIM) with whom it has been discussed the analysis and studies implemented till now in the field of defining “hard skills“ / soft skills“ necessary for future employment in SMEs; the EIM necessity for analysis, studies in specific sector of economy and the chance to share already existing partners tool (such as the one used in Wallonia to evaluate SME digital maturity in Belgium).
- Finally, representatives from the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA) were involved and presented data and information that can be useful for the 40Ready. They shared contacts of several stakeholders who may be interested in project results and can share available information, analytics and other data.
Here below some pictures taken during the meetings
