SMERALD – Strengthening SME Competences for the Digital Age
SMERALD – SMEs: Raising Awareness and Learning on Digital Data, Data Analysis, and Artificial Intelligence is a European Erasmus+ funded project aiming to boost digital readiness and competence development in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Recognising the transformative power of data and artificial intelligence, SMERALD supports both SME employees and trainers in embracing digital opportunities and implementing practical solutions in their daily operations.
The project equips SMEs with essential competences (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) in the fields of digital data, data analysis, and AI. It also strengthens the role of trainers and adult educators in facilitating these learning processes by offering innovative tools and resources, including competence-based training models and validation approaches like LEVEL5.
Start: December 2022
End: November 2025
Total Duration: 36 months
- Funded by: Erasmus+ Programme (KA220-VET – Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training)
The central objective of ARIES is to help teachers develop the core competence of implementing and facilitating AR and IR in classroom settings. This involves not only understanding the technologies themselves but also being able to plan, deliver, and assess engaging, competence-oriented learning environments. The ARIES approach is grounded in the LEVEL5 methodology, a learning and validation framework which emphasises the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitude and links learning outcomes to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
Key Project Goals
The SMERALD Project responds to the increasing need for digital upskilling in SMEs by offering structured, competence-based support in the fields of digital data, data analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI). The project aims to:
Raise awareness among SME staff and trainers about the growing relevance of AI and data competences.
Develop a tailored competence framework for SMEs, based on the LEVEL5 validation approach, covering social, personal, organisational, and field-specific competences.
Design a modular training course that allows SME staff and trainers to explore AI and data tools at their own pace, in blended or self-directed formats.
Strengthen trainers’ roles by equipping them with resources and methodological tools to facilitate competence development in SMEs.
Support strategic integration of AI and data tools into SME workflows through prototyping and real-life piloting.
Foster validation and transparency through the use of SPIDER questionnaires and the LEVEL5 cube to reflect and visualise individual competence growth.
These goals ensure that SMEs remain competitive, resilient, and adaptive in the face of digital transformation.
