Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which mentors are chosen for the Enterprise Ireland mentoring network; the way in which these mentors are evaluated; if Enterprise Ireland staff have received training on how to evaluate mentors capabilities; the amount that has been spent on mentors by Enterprise Ireland in the past 3 years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45685/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Expressions of interest are received on a regular basis from business entrepreneurs seeking to join the EI Mentor Network. The criteria to be eligible to apply is a person who has built and scaled an organisation on a global basis, or been part of a senior team in doing so. Enterprise Ireland consider the mentor’s experience in the context of requests received from Enterprise Ireland clients for support, and the sectors they are in.

The Mentor Manager reviews the applicant’s Curriculum Vitae, Biography, LinkedIn and any other relevant information provided. If the person presents with skills and expertise where there is a gap on the panel they may be invited for interview by one of Enterprise Ireland’s three Mentor Coordinators. The Mentor Coordinators are independent service providers who have successfully been awarded a tender to provide coordination and facilitation services to the EI Mentor Network.

Should the applicant be successful at interview they are asked to nominate two referees to be contacted as a further check. Throughout COVID-19, as emergency panels were established to support specific grant aids such as Business Financial Planning Grants, the Online Retail Scheme, and Digital Transformation, the Mentor Network closed the panel for applications, applicants were referred to their specific area of expertise where EI clients could be best supported at this challenging time.

The Manager of the EI Mentor Network is a qualified HR Specialist CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and has a number of years’ experience in the area of skills assessment, recruitment and business development. Along with this as previously mentioned the three Mentor Coordinators are independent service providers who have successfully been awarded a tender to provide Coordination and Facilitation Services to the EI Mentor Network. Regular update meetings are held between the mentor team and the mentor coordinators to share information and discuss any challenge areas.

Mentor Grant Payments – Enterprise Ireland 2019-2021