Skillnet Ireland and the Small Firms Association have announced the expansion of MentorsWork, an initiative aimed at helping SME owner-managers.

A new addition is the MentorsWork Competency Assessment, an online diagnostic tool to assist business owners and managers in identifying skills and development needs.

The tool centres on questions that results in a bespoke report. This forms the basis for a programme of mentoring, masterclasses and workshops provided by Skillnet Ireland in partnership with the SFA.

MentorsWork will expand from eight to 12 weeks in duration, according to Skillnet Ireland chief executive Paul Healy.

“Building business success is at the heart of what Skillnet Ireland does,” he added. “The online Competency Assessment diagnostic tool is an innovative new feature which we developed in close partnership with businesses, and is the first of its kind in Ireland.

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“It will make a big difference for small businesses by providing an opportunity for owners and managers to identify areas for development and avail of expert mentoring to bridge the gaps identified.”

Sven Spollen-Behrens, SFA Director, said: “We are calling on SMEs across Ireland to sign up and avail of this structured, free of charge 12-week business-support programme and receive expert advice at this critically important time to succeed.”

Sonya Murphy-Lyons, founder of the Mezzo Music Academy, completed the MentorsWork programme last year.

“Due to the pandemic, leading my team remotely and essentially running the business from my laptop was a new challenge, so I was delighted to participate in MentorsWork. I gained valuable insight in different aspects of business by attending the Masterclasses and Workshops and by accessing the resource library.

“My mentor guided and encouraged me along the way. Having the opportunity to discuss ideas and challenges with a fellow entrepreneur was invaluable to me and the business.”

First introduced in April 2020, MentorsWork has supported 600 businesses to date and this new phase of the programme aims to support a further 600 SME owner-managers.

Photo: Paul Healy (left) and Sven Spollen-Behrens (right) with Sonya Murphy-Lyons. (Pic: Julien Behal)