After the successful launching in the provinces of Cavite and Quezon, the Department of Trade and Industry Region 4-A, in partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship- Go Negosyo, kicked off its KAPATID Mentor ME (KMME) – Money and Market Encounter (MME) Program on August 20, 2020 via Zoom with 47 mentees in the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, and Rizal
To survive and thrive amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a blended KMME-MME program for the New Normal is developed as a practical delivery mechanism for the same mentorship modules for the micro, small, and medium enterprises. The program addresses the urgent need for the continued access of mentees to Money, Market, and Mentorship (3Ms). This will be achieved through the presentation of the Business Improvement Plan (BIP) to an expanded panel of evaluators composed of representatives from banks, online market platforms, and other business support organizations.
During her Welcome Remarks, DTI CALABARZON Assistant Director Marissa Argente mentioned that the program will have business experts, who also have their own businesses, to provide practical teachings for the mentees, at the same time, for the mentees to enjoy the whole learning experience.
DTI-Regional Operations Group Assistant Secretary Asteria Caberte, on the other hand, thanked the mentees for rising up and going beyond the challenge of joining the program despite the drastic onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The KMME-MME program is composed of twelve (12) mentorship modules such as Entrepreneurial Mind-setting, Marketing, Product Development, Marketing Expansion and Internationalization, Business Model Canvass, Operations Management, Business Laws, Taxation, Financial Management, Human Resource/Organization Management, Supply and Value Chain, Business Improvement Plan, and Culmination and Product Exposition.
“We hope that our mentees will be able to finish this program because they can learn a lot of things about business and be able to expand their business without paying anything. The support structure is available for them to access,” said PCE Senior Adviser for MSME Development Engr. Merly Cruz.
According to DTI CALABARZON Director Marilou Q. Toledo, KMME-MME Program aims to help the MSMEs to adapt their business strategies in responding to the challenges of the New Normal business environment.
“Despite the difficult situation that we are currently experiencing right now caused by COVID-19, DTI still continues to help our existing and aspiring entrepreneurs by providing a platform to learn and enhance their business skills and resiliency through a crisis,” added Toledo. ♦
Date of Release: 20 August 2020