WORKING IN SME's

Working in SME'S (taken from presentation given by Keith Kilgore, Napier University 1998)

"Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are our largest single growth area and the embryos from which the new giants will emerge. Graduates can bring a creative energy and flexibility to these firms. They can help them sustain growth and take off..."
(Gillian Shepherd speaking at the "Better Business through People" conference in 1996)

Some Statistics:

• 97% of firms in Scotland are SME's (i.e.. have less than 200 employees)
• Only 10% of Graduates work in firms with over 200 employees.
• In 1991 the UK had as many jobs in establishments with less than 20 employees as it had in those with over 500.
• By the end of 1994, 39% of employment was within enterprises with less than 20 employess and 34% in those with more than 500
• By the year 2000, two thirds of the workforce are expected to be in companies with under 100 employees

  Advantage of working in SME's
  

• The likelihood of wider responsiblity at an earlier stage
• Opportunities for creativity and initiative
• Potential for growth on the basis of one's own actions
• Potential for wider ranging management experience cutting across functional boundaries at an early career stage
• Deeper range of tasks enabling better understanding of jobs at all levels
• Possibility of having a marked influence on the company's destiny
• Opportunity to learn how to run one's own business

So what are the drawbacks?


• Initial salaries may be lower (not true for all firms)
• Training in the sense of formal courses may be absent
• May be uncertainty or higher levels of risk
• Possible lack of a carefully worked out career plan (often absent in larger organisations too)
• Drawbacks or barriers may be perceived by graduates due to a lack of awareness or understanding of smaller firms and what they have to offer (top)