Qualifications and professionalism of staff help to boost European innovation

Citation

(2003), "Qualifications and professionalism of staff help to boost European innovation", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.2003.00327gab.002

Qualifications and professionalism of staff help to boost European innovation

Qualifications and professionalism of staff help to boost European innovation

Almost half of European managers attribute their companies' strength in innovation primarily to the qualifications and professionalism of their staff, according to the latest Innobarometer poll of 3,000 European executives.

The survey reveals that European companies continue to invest in new products and services, despite often-difficult economic conditions.

Erkki Liikanen, European commissioner responsible for enterprise, said: "Europe's most valuable economic resource is its people and the skills that they have. Their ability to innovate across the whole range of entrepreneurial activity is vital to sustain and improve Europe's overall competitiveness and growth."

The survey shows that the share of new or renewed products or services introduced within the last two years accounts on average for 22 per cent of companies' turnover – up 2 per cent from the 2001 survey.

Highly innovative European firms are found most frequently among exporting companies, younger enterprises and the industrial sector. They seem well placed to build on the opportunities offered in the coming years by the existing markets of the EU as well as by the enlargement.