Compares the role of the recently established Training and Enterprise
Councils (TECs) with that of the relevant German institutions of support
for small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Examines the adequacy of
each as a means of supporting SMEs in the context of overall SME policy.
In the summer of 1992 the authors conducted a survey of the TECs in
England and an in‐depth investigation of a management consultancy scheme
at a particular TEC. The results from this work, along with other
research into comparable German schemes, provided an invaluable source
of information with which to evaluate the coherence of SME support.
Certain problems were found with TEC schemes which were partially
attributable to their infancy. The German case offers important lessons
but should not be used as an exemplary model for the UK.
Before assessing the role of the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in supporting small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in England, this paper highlights the importance of the SME sector and then briefly outlines the development of official policy towards SMEs over the past two decades. The introduction of the TECs in 1989 encompassed a number of features of the UK Government's SME policy. The TECs have been given wide‐ranging and challenging responsibilities. Whilst there is no clear demarcation line between the TECs' enterprise and training activities, this paper is more concerned with their role in promoting ‘enterprise’ in SMEs. A broad brush survey of TECs conducted for this paper reveals that the different TECs have adopted different approaches to fulfilling this role. The paper then describes an initiative offered by one particular TEC; the scheme in question enables SMEs to finance the use of consultants to assist in business planning and management development activities. The operation of this scheme encapsulates many of the key issues involved in SME policy, such as how to select companies for assistance and how to design an integrated programme of SME support. Finally, the implications of these findings for the future of the TECs are explored, with the caveat that the role of the TECs will inevitably mirror the (constantly evolving) government policy towards SMEs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.