Ghent, 23-24 March 2010

Plato Koopera

Welcome

Short introduction

Who are we? VOKA Koopera & purpose of next 2 days

Program Tuesday, March 23rd

09.00 Welcome09.30 Acquaintance10.15 What is Plato?11.00 Break/Outdoor11.30 Who are your Plato stakeholders?

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Critical success factors & Milestones (Preparation)15.00 Break/Outdoor15.30 Milestones (Startup, Operational, Followup)

17.00 Break18.30 Diner

Program Wednesday, March 24th

09.00 Morning walk09.30 How to implement Plato networks? Preparation10.45 Break/Outdoor11.15 How to implement Plato networks? Startup

12.30 Lunch

13.30 How to implement Plato networks? Operational & Followup15.00 Break/outdoor15.30 How will we further cooperate?

17.00 Break18.30 Diner

Program Thursday, March 25th

09.00 Pick-up at Hotel de Flandre, transfer to Waarschoot10.00 PLATO SME testimony: Sylva11.30 transfer to Voka CCI Ghent

12.30 working lunch with managing director, Mr. Karel Uyttersprot

13.30 Transfer to Volvo Cars14.00 PLATO Flanders, Plato Coordinator Mr. Freddy Cnudde15.00 Plato major company testimony: Volvo cars16.00 Volvo Cars, guidance tour through end assembly

17.00 transfer to Gent17.30 Free

Program Friday, March 26th

09.00 Check out + pick-up at Hotel de Flandre + transfer to CCI Ghent/Oudenaarde

09.30 Plato Koopera management

12.30 working lunch

13.30 Plato Koopera management15.30 Transfer to railway station at Gent Sint-Pieters 16.15 Train to Brussels Airport 17.15 Arrival at Brussels Airport + check-in

Tools: worksheet (formal) & thermometer (informal)

Company name Business cardActivitity, employees, results

Acquaintance

Who are you and your organisation?(bring object + some information)

Question round (person) Start worksheet (organisation)

Expectations 2 days (meta-plan)

Presentation: What is Plato?

Presentation Plato International Some examples

The Plato Concept

Plato history

End 1989: Janssens Pharmaceuticals and SPK -> professionalisation of suppliers! Crossborder area

Plato starts at Voka East Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce Since 1990:

1700 SME’s have joined the Plato Project in the Province of East Flanders. ( 7500 in Flanders )

300 managers of 70 multinational companies participated Since 2000: Plato International on request of Flemish Government PLATO ISO certified Plato networks in Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Croatia,

Slovenia, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Egypt and South Africa

Why do companies participate in learning networks?

SME owners are responsible for

EVERYTHING in their company:

Finances management, HR, purchasing,, marketing, …

But the entrepreneur has a

LACK OF TIME AND MEANS

For expensive and time-consuming trainings

The project deals with

BOTTLENECKS and practical questions

The entrepreneur has a NEED for information and contact with colleagues

PLATO

Life Long Learning!

Minerva PLATO GLOBUS, Compass

Athena

Kameracademie

Starting Growing Internationalisation

Sta

rt

Mentorshipprojects within learning networks!

What is Plato?

Goal: professionalization of SME owners management

How: establishment of networks of SME owners Homogeneous groups of 15-20 Entrepreneurs meet monthly under the guidance of mentors To receive information and discuss management topics

creation of tandem

Team buildingm entors

recruitm ent m entors

creationhom ogeneousgroups

Individual m eetingsentrepreneurs

Recruitment SM Es

Meetings mentors and group members

Teambuilding SME groups: mentors and sme entrepreneurs

10 Monthly sessions

2 network sessions

P

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J

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C

F

L

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Training Coordinors

2

0

1

0

2

0

1

1

Mentorship project

15SMEgroup

15SMEgroup

15SMEgroup

15SMEgroup

MC MC MC MC MC MC

Plato groups are guided by mentors

Mentors = managers from large companies

Receive a training: Develop skills in managing a Plato group Learn about SME practices Network with other mentor and mentor companies

Steer the group monthly meetings Define topics Pass information Facilitate monthly sessions

Give Individual assistance to the participating SME

Plato Small and Medium Sized Entreprises

PLATO participant = owner or decision maker within the company Selection

Homogeneous groups

Receive at kick-off: TEAM building with tandem of mentors Tailormade programme for their group Networking with other companies

Participate at monthly sessions: Get info Share expertise

Get the possibility to participate in international business and info sessions

Get individual assistance PLATO Alumni

Plato starts from the practice

PLATO SME kick-off Creates TEAM Creates programme

Monthly sessions Plato entrepreneurs discuss their everyday problems: Accountancy, Sales, HRM,

Subsidies, Taxes, Communication In order to reflect on management

issues Entrepreneurs gain new knowledge from

their colleagues, from their mentors and from outside experts

Key players Mentorshipproject

Mentors

Mentorcompanies

entrepreneurs

S(M)MEs

Chamber of Commerce

Other socio-economic partners

Break/Outdoor

Choose from:

• Coffee-break

• Short walk

• Explanation of:

• Spiderweb

• Blind square

• Flying carpet

• Shuttle run

• Minefield

• Warp speed

Workshop: Who are your stakeholders?

Government Management Project leader Project assistant Sponsoring firms Mentors Participants Others…

Who are your stakeholders?

What do they expect?

Lunch

Expert interview: Critical success factors

Focus & progress Informal Formal Willing to share competences Engagement

Expert interview: Milestones

Preparation How to define & organise a Plato network? How to find, contact, select and convince major companies? How to find and select mentors? How to make a sensibilisation campaign for SME’s? How to select and (intake) interview SME’s? How to create SME teams?Startup How to organise teambuilding of mentors? How to organise a startup teambuilding with the participating SME’s?Operational How to conduct the network? (Workmeetings, Coaching, Plenary meetings) How to organise Public Relations activities?Followup How to followup the network? How to evaluate the project/network?

Workshops: How to implement Plato networks?

4 phases: preparation, startup, operational, followup

What did we learn? (Best Practices) How would you see it? (12 questions, How broad & deep?)

Workshop: How will we further cooperate?

Building and executing the network project Communication Meetings E-Platform Learning from each other

Plato Flanders: Best Practices

1. Structure, Proces, Stakeholders

How is a Plato project organised? Organisationally Geographically

How does a Plato project evolve? Preparation: Structure, Objectives, Recruitment & Promotion, Selection Startup: Training Mentors + startup SME teams Operational: Workgroup meetings, plenary meetings, individual guidance, communication Followup: Commitment, Resources, Observation, Reporting

What are the tasks, responsibilities and areas of competence of all actors?

Government Management Project leader Project assistant Sponsoring firms Mentors Participants Others..

2. Objectives

Objectives of the project leader of the mentors of participants

Instruments for evaluation and corrective action

3. Recruitment and promotional campaign

Recruiting SMEs Brochure Mailing Organisations Municipal governments Banks and accountants Internet The press Information evenings Telephone promotion Personal visits

Recruiting sponsoring firms and mentors Profile of sponsoring firms Profile of mentors Approaching sponsoring firms

4. Selection

Selection of the project leader sponsoring firms mentors participants project assistant

(Objective & Subjective criteria)

5. Training mentors & teambuilding SME’s

Preparatory phase Content Resources

Operational phase Teambuilding Exchanging experiences Coaching

6. Workgroup meetings

Definition

Preparation for the meeting (Projectleader, Mentors, Participants)

The meeting itself (Projectleader, Mentors, Participants)

Evaluation and progression to the informal part

7. Plenary meetings

Definition

Preparation for the meeting (Projectleader; mentors, participants, speaker)

The meeting itself (Projectleader; mentors, participants, speaker)

8. Individual guidance

Principle

Practice Which questions? The goal of individual guidance The form of individual guidance Responsibilities of the actors

9. Communication

Internal communication (operational & structural)

External communication (operational & structural)

10. Commitment

Preparatory phase: detection Participants Mentors

Operational phase: measuring Quality measurement Quantity measurement

Reporting Organisation/Government

Director/Project leader Project leader/Sponsoring firm Project leader/Mentors Mentors/Participants

11. Resources

Resources for the project leader (project & person related) the mentors the participants

Projectbudget

12. Observation & follow-up

Observation by Management Projectleader Mentors Participants

Follow-up & reporting

Q&A

Question time… Financial details General Plato concept Plato Koopera implementation …

Plato International

stronger business together