Context/background of the project;The labour market in Europe is facing challenges due to demographic changes and increasing cultural diversity. From practical experiences of the partners in their day-to-day work as well as research in the market we’ve learned that Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) are lacking knowledge and practical tools to develop themselves into more diversity-minded, inclusive organisations. Leadership education does not yet have the subject of (generational and cultural) diversity inegrated in their curriculum. Especially, but not only, graduates entering a labour market experience resistance against diversity and the same applies for newcomers from other countries/cultures. The last decade more and more projects have started with the subject of diversity. However, most of them were focussing on creation and implementation a diversity-policy (using a top-down approach), having a problem-oriented perspective or were focussing on anti-discrimination and were done in larger organisations. Diversity of the labour market (and therefor at the workplace) is growing rapidly. SME’s experience an urge to adapt to it and grasp its opportunities for their innovative power and future. Although diversity can include any type of differences among people, the SiLC-partners choose the scope of 2 aspects that have actual relevance for collaboration the workplace: age and culture. The SiLC-team has developed and tested a set of tools that support team leaders and facilitators (trainers, teachers, coaches) to work on the subject and improve acceptance of it as an asset for organisational performance. In contrary to top-down approaches (policy-development) the SiLC-partners are convinced building inclusive teams, embracing diversity and using it as an asset for team development are more successful when done in a bottom-up, low profile, practical way in SME’s. By doing so, we support fully the increasing new interest in learning on the job and experiential learning.The objectives of the SiLC-project are two-fold: •supporting SME’s to build inclusive teams, using their performance and innovative potential from a bottom-up approach by delivering a set of tools and supporting materials for collaboration, leadership and leadership training. •VET schools can use the SiLC-tools to train their staff and support their students who are entering the labour market soon (via internship or as junior employee). At the same time SME’s can use the SiLC-tools to implement a more diversity-minded work-culture in their organisation. In the SiLC-project, 6 partners from Netherlands, Spain, Czech republic, Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia varied in the way they work on the subject of leadership and learning and also are active in various areas of the labour market. They collaborated as a diverse team, experiencing it on the run, seeking inclusion and using their differences in age, culture and references as an asset in delivering the project.During the SiLC-project, the partners have done empirical research, developed a toolbox and supporting manuals and a mini-curriculum which have been tested in training sessions and workshops. All partners have tested and implemented the tools in their own work and made an effort to disseminate it to target audiences (VET, SME, NGO organisations) in their resp. countries. The success of the project becomes visible as other organisations start using the IO’s for their own projects and developments, and in some cases it already has lead to development of special training modules for team leaders. The awareness that diversity is important for future performance of organisations has improved and continues after closure of the project. The SiLC toolbox supports this with tools for the workplace and in training. Not all VET-schools and SME’s tend to make it a top priority yet, but the ball has started rolling and the awareness that they have to put it on the agenda has increased. With SiLC the practical tools are available to start with it today, both in VET-education who support students entering the labour market as in SME’s who welcome them as newcomers in their team.