21 entrepreneurs finish ‘Kapatid Mentor ME Program’

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A total of 21 Micro, Small, and Medium Entrepreneurs graduated from the 11-week “Kapatid Mentor ME Program” of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here Friday.

DTI Provincial Director Ceferino Rubio said the graduates comprised the first batch of the agency’s 2018 Kapatid Mentor ME Program in this city.

Rubio said the program aims to assist Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) scale up their businesses through weekly theoretical and conceptual discussions, as well as mentoring and coaching sessions by Go Negosyo’s mentors, who are experienced entrepreneurs, and seasoned business lecturers on the different areas of entrepreneurship.

Rubio said the first batch of the Kapatid Mentor ME Program consists of eleven modules: entrepreneurial mind-setting and values formation, marketing mindset, market-driven product development and innovation, market growth and expansion, the business model canvas and key partners, operations management, supply and value chain, human resource and organization management, entrepreneurial accounting and financial management, taxation, and business law.

The graduation featured a business improvement plan presentation by the mentees, followed by a breakout session and critiquing by the panel groups.

The members of the panel groups are officials and representatives of government agencies and banking institutions, such as the DTI, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Development Bank of the Philippines, and business and private groups such as the Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc.

“We would like to reiterate our heartfelt gratitude to our partners from Go Negosyo and the private sector whose invaluable support contributed to the success of the program,” Rubio said.

“With their help, we have equipped and will continue to equip our MSMEs in Zamboanga City with the needed skills sets, the right mindset, and business know-how to ultimately scale up and sustain their enterprise,” he added. (PNA)