Up to 400 places are now available free of charge to SMEs on the latest phase of the MentorsWork programme, which is backed by the Government to the tune of €1.2 million.
The 12-week programme provides free mentoring and business tools for SMEs and is available to any private sector business with between five and 250 employees.
The programme is provided by the Small Firms Association (SFA) in partnership with Skillnet Ireland.
Sven Spollen-Behrens, SFA Director said MentorsWork is an excellent resource for Irish SMEs to tackle skills gaps and development needs, in order to rebuild business.
"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," he said.
First introduced in April 2020, MentorsWork has supported 700 businesses to date, across various sectors.
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 says MentorsWork is a flexible and bespoke programme.
"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.
"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," he said.
Sonya Murphy-Lyons, Founder and Director of the Mezzo Music Academy in Dublin, a recent MentorsWork programme participant found the initiative invaluable.
"Leading my team remotely was a new challenge, so I was delighted to participate in MentorsWork.
"My mentor guided and encouraged me along the way, as we looked at how to work with over 500 students and 30 teachers remotely," she said.
This latest phase of the SME support programme has up to 400 places available to SME owners or senior managers.
Places will be allocated across the summer and early autumn, with priority given to eligible applications received by 31 July next.
