MentorsWork’ Online Competency Tool

'MentorsWork' is an initiative aimed at helping Irish SME business owners and managers to navigate current business challenges and plan for growth. The programme is developed by Skillnet Ireland in partnership with Small Firms Association (SFA) and is designed to provide managers with the skills and supports to help their business thrive, by addressing the specific needs of their companies.

MentorsWork is a free structured 12-week business-support programme, which offers unlimited masterclasses and peer-to-peer workshops as well as one-to-one mentoring. It is designed to offer very tailormade support; at the beginning, the participants choose the priority areas for their businesses and the programme is tailored accordingly to suit their needs. Also, one of the main aims of the initiative is to connect business owners and managers with dedicated expert business mentors to address specific issues on a one-to-one basis.

Much in detail, the programme includes:

• In-depth Online Competency Assessment
• One-to-One Mentoring Sessions
• Unlimited access to Peer-Focused Workshops
• Unlimited access to Expert-Led Masterclasses
• Multiple Licenses to a Curated Online Learning Platform

Furthermore, recently a key new addition has been launched in the framework of the initiative: the MentorsWork Competency Assessment, an online diagnostic tool which will help business owners and managers to identify skills and development needs, and which has been developed through extensive collaboration with the industry and current MentorsWork participants.

Finally, the programme is fully subsidised by the Government of Ireland and offers integrated learning supports across four key pillars: people, finance and growth, digitalisation and automation, and business processes.

Methodology

The programme's methodology is based on a combined approach towards mentorship and tailored training opportunities.