THE Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) last Friday signed an agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the implementation of the latter’s mentorship program for small to medium-scale businesses here.
Virgilio Espeleta, CCCI vice president for business development, said that the partnership was in line with the group’s thrust to bring businesses to the next level.
“It is our mandate to be relevant to the community, especially to our member companies. Businesses don’t have the same needs and so we saw the need for the partnership to mentor our small businesses,” he said in a press conference prior to the CCCI’s general membership meeting last week.
Present during the signing were CCCI President Melanie Ng, CCCI Executive Director May Elizabeth Ybanez, DTI Central Visayas Director Asteria Caberte and Assistant Director Nelia Navarro, and DTI Cebu Provincial Director Maria Elena Arbon.
Espeleta said the CCCI will be the implementing arm of the DTI’s Kapatid Program, a project that is also in partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo.
The program includes the mentorship of small to medium-scale enterprises, maximized use of shared service facilities (SSF), and the practice of inclusive business through a small sibling-big sibling scheme.
Among the hurdles that prevent small business from growing are the lack of business know-how and management capability, machineries and facilities, as well as market access.
Espeleta said these challenges are what the CCCI, DTI, and Go Negosyo aim to address through the Kapatid Program.
During the meeting last Friday, Espeleta encouraged around 130 of 700 chamber members to participate in the mentorship program.
The mentorship program, which spans 12 weeks and comprises two parks broken down to 10 modules, will be rolled out in Cebu and Davao on Oct. 7.
Espeleta said that the first two weeks of the program will include modules on entrepreneurial mind-setting and values deepening, product or service development, assessment, and innovation, and entrepreneurial accounting and financial discipline.