New National State mentoring group necessary – Jobs Committee Report

This new national group, with a sole focus on mentoring, would incur little or no extra cost to the State as the existing support of Enterprise Ireland and Skillnets could be re-directed to the new group. Businesses would also have a greater awareness of and access to the supports available.

Report author Aine Collins TD said: “If we are serious about our indigenous businesses we need to encourage and nurture them. The most effective way of doing this is to have strong mentoring supports. Mentors play a crucial role in supporting both fledgling businesses to get off the ground as well as existing businesses that wish to expand or diversify.

“While we appreciate that a range of mentoring services is being provided by the various agencies, access is very limited due to eligibility criteria. Also there is no central body to coordinate the services and it is therefore difficult for businesses to find out what is available and from whom. This report shows that a dedicated provider of mentor services, which is all-sector inclusive, with a best-in-class approach is what is needed.”

According to the report, the new national mentoring group would:

· Create a significantly improved level and quality of state-funded mentoring support to the start-up and scaling SME community with the objective of increasing the number of jobs created in sustainable start-ups and scaling SMEs;
· Significantly increase both the numbers of mentors and the calibre and expertise of the mentors in each region with a particular emphasis on increasing the number of mentors with an entrepreneurial background;
· Provide easy access to well sign-posted mentoring services for existing SMEs who presently are not engaged with any development agency e.g. EI, CEBs and BICs;
· Create a new model of partnership between the client manager in the enterprise state agency, the mentor and where appropriate the support team in an incubation centre to significantly improve the overall support provided to start-ups and scaling SMEs;
· Replace current mentor report system with a proper on-going cloud-based case management system to manage the progress being made with the company;
· Organise regional based case management reviews between mentors, agencies and other members of regional support system to define best development routes for SMEs;
· Create a dynamic open state mentor network which facilitates a flexible mentoring support model for a business that enables a primary mentor to tap into additional expertise available in the mentor network; the sharing of mentoring best practices and case studies between mentors and regions; and delivery of specialized training (both locally-created and international best practices);
· Raise the bar on the standard of state-funded mentoring in Ireland and raise the overall public profile of both the mentors and the significant economic impact strong high-quality mentoring has on both the local and national level;
· Streamline the current cost structures and processes of current state-funded provision of mentoring services;
· Simplify for all stakeholders the current eco-system of state-funded mentoring supports by providing one single source for mentor services;
· Enable a number of mentoring models appropriate to the type of start-up and SME with a particular focus on an advanced mentoring programme for companies who have ability to add employment opportunities in the immediate future.

Deputy Collins concluded: “The report also found that there are many business professionals who would be willing to volunteer their services as mentors to assist other businesses.  The findings suggest that a volunteer mentor panel would be a beneficial way of utilising the vast experience of the multi-national and wider business community.”

Áine Collins TD discusses the report’s findings here: http://youtu.be/axulZIXIIFk

Read the report here: http://bit.ly/106f5Pa

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

Committee Membership

Deputies: Dara Calleary, Áine Collins, Michael Conaghan, Damien English (Chair), John Halligan, Seán Kyne, Anthony Lawlor, John Lyons (Vice-Chair) and Peadar Tóibín.

Senators: Deirdre Clune, David Cullinane, John Kelly, Michael Mullins, Feargal Quinn and Mary White