The Skills Gap: Matching Vocational Training with SME Needs : 750 SMEs in five European countries were surveyed to establish the skills of vocational training students at the point they first enter employment. The study analyses the current situation and proposes training improvements benefitting students and employers, with particular reference to IT skills. First-hand information is obtained from SMEs, enabling a new awareness of the perceptions of small companies when recruiting vocational training graduates and the limited resources available in such companies for supplementing any gaps in training and skills. This project started in 2000 and lasted 18 months.