Enterprise Ireland Mentor Network

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 September 2011

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Ceisteanna (184)

Dominic Hannigan

Ceist:

212 Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the numbers of business mentors under schemes operated by him available in County Meath and nationally; the number of businesses or persons in County Meath and nationally they have interacted with; the frequency with which they met them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24982/11]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Richard Bruton)

The Enterprise Ireland Mentor Network was established to help companies identify and overcome obstacles to growth and provide tailored advice, guidance and support, to help accelerate growth and build management capability. Mentors are senior executives, drawn from the private sector, with a proven track record in business. They act as a confidential sounding board, advising companies on key operational and strategic issues. The Network is regularly refreshed with CEOs and senior executives with high levels of achievement and with proven skills in a range of areas. Every effort is made to match the Mentor to the specific needs of a company.

A mentoring assignment consists of 10 visits from a Mentor over a 12 month period.

Companies choose a Mentor from a short-list of Mentors with the experience to meet their stated needs.

The goals and objectives are established by the client in agreement with the Mentor at the start of the assignment.

All Mentors sign a strict confidentiality agreement with Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland has 291 active mentors on its Mentor Network nationally. Six of these mentors are located in County Meath.

Since 2005, EI mentors have been appointed to 33 assignments with EI and County Enterprise Board clients located in County Meath. 23 of these assignments have been completed over a course of 133 visits and 10 are in progress with 36 visits instigated so far.

Mentors from the Network were appointed to companies across the country in the following years:

2009 — 365 assignments set up

2010 — 327 assignments set up

2011 — To date 259 assignments have been set up, and 420 assignments are currently in progress.

Meath County Enterprise Board and the County and City Enterprise Board (CEB) network across the country provide support for micro-enterprises in the start-up and expansion phases. The assistance provided includes a wide range of one-to-one mentoring, business advice and information services.

Meath CEB's mentoring services are complemented by business advice sessions and ‘Start Your Own Business' (SYOB) training. In 2010, there were 228 business advice sessions and 193 SYOB provisions. Meath CEB has an available panel of 151 mentors across a variety of business specialisations. Mentoring sessions in 2010 to Meath CEB clients totalled 26 individual project promoters with 66 sessions carried out.

Meath CEB offers three mentoring packages as follows:

Developmental Stage Mentoring: This is aimed at those who cannot attend a Start Your Own Business Programme due to personal or work commitments and wish to gain expert advice on how to get started. This package consists of 4 mentoring visits (3 hours per visit).

Crisis Mentoring: This is aimed at businesses in difficulties financial or otherwise who cannot attend training courses but require immediate help with their business. It allows micro-enterprises (i.e. businesses employing 1-10 employees) the opportunity to meet with a business mentor over a period of 1.5 hours to discuss the clients credit control, cash flow or other urgent issues. Additional hours may be granted if necessary.

Subsidised Mentoring: This is for client businesses operating within manufacturing and internationally traded service businesses, those who have been in receipt of a grant from the Board, or those who have the potential to be assisted by the Board, and are offered between 3 and 5 sessions each of 3 hours duration. Mentors may be appointed, at the discretion of the Board, for those businesses operating in the services sector.

CEB mentoring provision operates on broadly similar parameters across the CEB Network. However, it has not been possible within the timescale to provide the required information across the remaining 34 CEBs.

Throughout 2011, the CEBs have continued to be actively involved in the economic development of the country by direct grant aid to businesses and project promoters and through the provision of one-to-one mentoring together with other "soft supports" to business, all of which help to stimulate indigenous enterprise and job creation.