The SMILE project targets the Craft Beer/Micro Brewery industry in Europe. The project will develop the tools to educate entrepreneurs behind the micro brewing explosion.

The outcome will be increased opportunities and the skills to build successful, sustainable brewing businesses.

Key principles which the project seeks to influence includes;

• To help develop the business skills of micro-brewers to sustain enterprise and employment,

• To help train brewers to develop leadership and responsibility in relation to food safety,

• To improve the mobility of brewery workers in Europe,

• To reinforce knowledge of the important link between, brewing, agriculture and the natural environment,

• Support knowledge creation and exchange in the fields of brewing, malting and fermentation science,

• To develop the competences and competitiveness of the European micro brewing sector and further encourage the positive contribution that European beer can make to the economy,

• To encourage the ongoing improvement and dissemination of best available practices and techniques in respect of sustainability within the brewing sector,

• To support the EU’s drive towards sustainable consumption and production,

• The creation of new job opportunities and the encouragement of entrepreneurship.

The main outputs of the project are as follows;

1.   An industry research report incorporating needs analysis for the industry for partner countries and EU as a whole, and gap analysis of the deficiencies in the existing VET provision, and outlining the new curricula to be developed through the SMILE project,

2.   Accredited ‘apprenticeship-type’ training programme. (Included developed curricula, and training materials incorporating e-learning modules, classroom modules an work placement modules),

3.  A Website to support the training and a newly established European Micro-Brewers network.

Visit the project website at www.smilebrewing.com