Member Article

Businesspeople encouraged to Get Mentoring

A new training tool which is part of the Get Mentoring Scheme now makes it easier for busy businesspeople to get mentoring and join an ever growing network of business mentors. Provided by the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI), www.getmentoring.org is free to use, making it easier for anyone to get involved.

Launched in November 2011, ‘Get Mentoring’ aims to recruit 15,000 new mentors to help guide entrepreneurs and fulfil their potential. The scheme, led by SFEDI (The Small Firms Development Initiative Limited) is backed by several partners including the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business and the National Enterprise Network. Already, more than 3,000 have signed up with 2,000 having completed training at workshops around the country.

Ruth Lowbridge, Executive Director of SFEDI, commented, “There are many reasons why a businessperson might become a mentor, not least to pass on and share expertise. Our own research shows that the best form of support comes from other business owners who have ‘been there, done that’ and had the hands-on experience of starting or running a small business,” Ruth explains.

“The training workshops and distance learning have been a huge success and we hope the online learning offer will enable even more business people to benefit from the free Introduction to Enterprise Mentoring training”.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said, “The training tool is vital to help build our growing network of trained mentors. Mentoring is a very effective way for aspiring entrepreneurs to get the help and support they need to succeed.”

Having recently been accredited as a SFEDI Centre of Excellence, an endorsement awarded only to those organisations delivering outstanding service to business and who meet strict quality performance criteria, DEAL Group were excited to be one of the organisations working with SFEDI to deliver the ‘Get Mentoring’ scheme. They have already held several workshops and trained over 150 mentors, joining the thousands of mentors already available at mentorsme.co.uk.

Karen Langdon, Director of DEAL Group said, “DEAL is delighted to be working with SFEDI on this. We recognise that there is a huge amount of knowledge, experience and insight within businesses in the North East. This initiative acknowledges that the best perspectives and wisdom comes from interaction with fellow small business owners and managers”.

“We all recognise that the world of business support has changed radically. Now is the time to take back the agenda from the bureaucrats and forge the best kind of business support - businesses working together, helping each other to improve performance, sustainability and grow. A real recipe for success”.

DEAL Group’s free workshops are running until end of March. Each is limited to 20 people and are filling fast. Click here to read more and to book a place.

Fast Forward Now have also been delivering Get Mentoring workshops across Newcastle with great success. Business Manager Anelise Siddle said, “The Get Mentoring scheme is a great initiative. Having mentored myself, I know how rewarding it can be to put my business experience to good use and to reflect on my own business practices. As potential mentors have busy schedules, the online initiative makes this valuable scheme so much more accessible to small business owners and business support professionals so that they can give something back.”

Tim Whitehall, Managing Director at Chester based Room 4 Consulting recently completed the training. He stated, “when I spotted the Get Mentoring scheme I instantly knew it was something I wanted to get involved in. I think real experience of making difficult decisions in challenging situations is invaluable to another business owner and I was keen to share my knowledge.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonny Marshall .