A government-funded initiative providing mentoring and business development tools for SMEs has been launched by the Small Firms Association (SFA).

The latest phase of the €1.2m MentorsWork initiative, which began in April 2020, is providing up to 400 places to SME owner-managers and leadership teams on the 12-week programme. Any private business with between five and 250 employees is eligible to apply.

MentorsWork one-to-one mentoring from an independent professional mentor experienced in the business area, as well as masterclasses and peer-to-peer workshops.

The initiative uses an online diagnostic tool to provide insights and help business owners and managers identify key skills and development needs. This forms the basis of bespoke mentoring.

There is also access to a self-paced learning portal and online resources in the MentorsWorks business development package, which is free to business owners and managers of SMEs.

In Association with

The programme is provided by the SFA in partnership with Skillnet Ireland. Encouraging registration, SFA director Sven Spollen-Behrens, described MentorsWork as an excellent resource for Irish SMEs to tackle skills gaps and development needs in order to rebuild business.

“Few businesses were unscathed by the pandemic. Some managed to adjust, and many took their business offering online and learned to lead teams remotely,” said Spollen-Behrens.

“But now is the time to identify a clear path to future growth, and MentorsWork is an excellent starting point. Mentorswork represents an investment in your business and we encourage companies to engage with this free programme.”

Since the first phase of the initiative was launched last year, MentorsWork has supported 700 businesses from a variety of sectors, including services and manufacturing operations.

Lifestyle, hair and beauty, childcare, technology, retail, marketing services, recruitment and small manufacturing operations have been largely represented, with businesses from over 16 counties participating in the programme. Virtually all of the businesses successfully completed the programme and found it transformational.

MentorsWork and its integrated learning supports address four key areas: people, business processes, finance and growth, and digitalisation and automation.

Skillnet Ireland chief executive Paul Healy said that MentorsWork is a flexible and bespoke programme proven to reboot business success.

“Working with the SFA, we want to support business owners and managers to navigate the challenges they are facing and grow their businesses by offering them supports that are targeted at their specific needs,” Healy continued.

“The opportunity to analyse needs, gain expert advice and develop bespoke business plans through MentorsWork is essential to driving sustainable long-term recovery across the SME sector."

The scheme also supports businesses in developing a six-month strategic business improvement plan. Places on MentorsWork will be allocated across the summer and early autumn, with priority given to eligible applications received by July 31 next.

Photo: Paul Healy (left), Sven Spollen-Behrens and past MentorsWork participant Sonya Murphy-Lyons, founder and director of Mezzo Music Academy (Pic: Julien Behal Photography)