The project ‘Competencies for the Knowledge Age’ will develop a series of tools to allow the identification and classification of key skills within SMEs and will propose strategies for change to allow the improved management of intellectual capital. The project will concentrate on SMEs in the metal sector and will target managers, owners and human resources & training personnel. Following an initial identification and classification exercise relating to transversal skills in the sector, project partners will develop a tool for use by SMEs to allow organisational self-analysis with regard to key skills requirements, the production of skills maps and the evaluation of existing skills in the workplace. An additional tool will be developed for use by individual employees, allowing a similar self-analysis as regards the possession, or not, of the required key skills. Beyond this, the project will develop a framework for change, suggesting how SMEs might change management approaches/strategies to better incorporate the management of intellectual capital. Project outputs will include a Skills Guide for the Knowledge Economy (aimed at employers), a Skills Guide for the Knowledge Age (aimed at employees) and a series of reports outlining transversal skills requirements, standard skills definitions and models for evaluation across the partner countries. All products will be produced in the participating partner languages and in English and will be output on CD-Rom and in paper format. Dissemination will comprise the circulation of the final products, the hosting of an final project seminar (Open Doors), the presentation of the project results at relevant employment & training fairs and the promotion of the project results via the websites of the project partners. It is expected that, upon completion, the end project results will be easily able to be transferred to other industrial sectors.