Background
Volunteer Enterprise Mentorship
Programme is a programme that provides mentorship support to youth businesses.
Mentors and young entrepreneurs are assessed, qualified and matched to form an
ongoing mentoring relationship aimed at improving the sustainability and growth
of a start-up or existing businesses of South African young entrepreneurs.
Programme Objectives
- Transfer business skills and
knowledge among South African young entrepreneurs;
- Increase sustainability and
growth chances of youth businesses;
Why volunteer mentoring?
Around the world, most of the
businesses are started with the financial support of family and friends, and
with this support normally comes business advice, mentorship and access to
markets. In South Africa, the NYDA attempts to fill the role of the family for
unemployed and self-employed young people.
It is firstly necessary to
recognise that the challenge of sourcing business finance is often an arduous
and time-consuming task for a start-up enterprise. Once the start-up capital
for their businesses have been secured, the young entrepreneurs have to
immediately start making an income to pay off what is generally expensive
finance. With these time and financial challenges placed on the entrepreneur,
he/she is hardly in a position to shop around for a credible business
consultant, nor pay exorbitant business consulting fees. The volunteer
mentorship programme thus introduces the young entrepreneur to the potential
value of good business advice and support services.
Involving corporate volunteers
and postgraduates as business mentors will promote socially responsible
business practice that will benefit business and society, and it will help
achieve social, economic and environmentally sustainable development. It is a
credible and productive form of employee engagement and it can facilitate the
development of business links between the corporate sector and small
enterprises. It is also contributes to Enterprise Development as outlined in
the BBBEE policy.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE