Rotarians and Vocational Service
Rotary has for many years prided itself in the work its members do in using their vocational skills in the community.
In recent years this area of Rotary Service has been a poor relation, and opportunities to give vocational service have been rather limited.
The Government's New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme needs business people who would be willing to volunteer their time to support clients getting this allowance for an hour a week for up to an 8 week period. The providers of this service e.g. Gloucester Enterprise Ltd must be a not-for- profit organisation, and this is the first provider to ask Rotary for help.
This is part of the BIG SOCIETY initiative.
Contacts are: | |
Gloucester | michaela.cozens@glosenterprise.co.uk |
Bristol | lizs@brave.org.uk |
Somerset | angela.hicks@gwebusinesswest.co.uk |
Hereford & Worcestershire | https://businessenterprisesupport.wordpress.com |
Rotarians interested, either as a Club project or on an individual basis, can email Ken Corrigan for current progress on this new initiative. Do note that clicking on the Ken's email link in the last sentence will open only open your email program if you use an email system based on your own machine such as Outlook and Outlook Express as examples. If you use an online email system such as Hotmail Yahoo or Googlemail as examples, you will need to use the link for Ken on the Community and Vocational main page on this site.
In the first month Business Enterprise Support Limited, who is delivering the scheme across the Mercia District and Staffordshire and Shropshire has already spoken to more clients than was projected, which shows the pent up demand in the system for support to aspiring entrepreneurs.
This of course presents its own challenges as clients have to be matched to volunteer business mentors.
Chief Executive Judith Kirkland at Business Enterprise Support Limited said 'It's encouraging to see so many business people volunteering their time to help our New Enterprise Allowance clients with their diverse business ideas. We appreciate that in the difficult economic circumstances that time is money, but mentors are already finding the experience rewarding, and some are finding that they might be building relationships with clients of the future.'
Mentors typically work with clients for 6 hours over an 8 week period to advise and guide clients through the all important business planning process, and once the business is up and running we continue to offer support to make sure the business is able to survive and thrive for the future.
Anyone interested in becoming a Volunteer Business Mentor should email marlan@enterprisesupport.org
more An opportunity for business people who would be willing to volunteer their time to support this BIG SOCIETY initiative.
more A Long Tradition in Rotary