Ministry to pilot mentoring programme to support social enterprises

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will pilot a Social Enterprise Mentoring Programme in December 2013.

The programme aims to strengthen the organisational capabilities of social enterprises and help them scale up their business operations and social impact. It involves corporate professionals and individual entrepreneurs mentoring and promoting capability and skills transfer to social enterprises.

The pilot will begin with five social enterprises for a period of about 8 months. The mentors and social enterprises are expected to work on specific areas such as marketing, strategic planning and business development.

The programme is administered by Empact Pte Ltd and supported by the Social Enterprise Association, a national body that champions social entrepreneurship in Singapore.

Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Social and Family Development, said, "There is a lot that corporations and private enterprises can contribute to good social outcomes. They can use their skills to help social enterprises become sustainable businesses. With mentoring and coaching support, social enterprises can strengthen their business management and organisational capabilities. We also hope this will generate greater interest and understanding of social enterprises, and encourage more professionals with corporate or entrepreneurial experiences to contribute their expertise in such areas."