Eighty three mentee-entrepreneurs are set to graduate this September under the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Kapatid Mentor Me- Money and Market Encounter (KMME-MME).
Ceferino Rubio, DTI IX Regional Director told RPN DXXX Zamboanga, for the first batch, there are 41 graduates and for the second batch 42. These mentees came from Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay.
These two batches are the first graduates for the year 2020 consisting of entrepreneurs from various provinces. They started their training from July 21 to August 29. Each week, they took up two modules.
This online training is made possible thru the convergence of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) Go Negosyo.
“This KMME-MME Online is one of the many interventions that DTI thru PCE Go Negosyo is giving to the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in this time of Covid-19 pandemic.” Rubio said.
The program consists of ten modules which aims to scale up the various aspects of the business operations of the chosen MSMEs. These modules covers: Entrepreneurial Mindsetting and Values Formation, Marketing, Product Development, Business Model Canvas, Operations Management, Supply and Value Chain, Human Resource Management, Financial Accounting and Financial Management, Taxation and Business Law.
They can complete the course after they finish all the modules and the mentees presentation of their Business Improvement Plan (BIP) to an expanded panel of evaluators composed of representatives from banks, online market platforms and other business support organizations.
Mentors includes: Pocholo Soliven, Arlene Padua, Maiko Pascual and Grace Silla, Norberto Towana, Richard Mariano and Christine Jane Coca, Aliw Cases and Dannah Grace Farrales, Liberty Solis and Haidee Diagmel, Alphi Santiago and Agnes Ortega, Alexis Chua and Robinson Berhay, Jr., and Atty. Carl Rubio and Jose Cabato, Jr..
DTI IX has already assisted MSMEs through KMME since 2016. For Zamboanga City a total of 163 were assisted since 2016, Zamboanga del Norte 145, Zamboanga Sibugay 131, and Zamboanga del Sur 129. Mentee-Graduates of KMME are also being assisted through the other programs and projects of DTI like Livelihood Seeding Program-Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB), OTOP Next Gen (ONG), Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa, and Shared Service Facility (SSF) (PBG). (R.G. Antonet A. Go)
(Source: Interview with Ceferino Rubio, DTI IX Regional Director)