Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) – Go Negosyo conducted an online training for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) entitled KMME-MME or Kapatid Mentor Me – Money Market Encounter last March 23, 2021 to June 9, 2021.
The main goal of the said training was to boost the entrepreneurial capacity of the mentees through improved access to Mentorship, Money and Market or the 3Ms. For the entire duration of the mentorship training, mentees completed ten (10) modules that allowed them to indulge in engaging discussions and top-notch insights through online coaching, lectures and mentorship in entrepreneurship to help them propel forward and thrive in spite of the unprecedented setbacks that now confront businesses of all types and sizes.
Seeing the benefits the said training could offer, Region 6 was identified as the first batch to participate in the said training composed of representatives from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
Among the mentees privileged to join in the first batch to represent the University was Dr. Mae Flor Posadas, the Vice President for Research and Extension.
In this rigid training, one significant output required for each participant was their Business Improvement Plan (BIP) presentation, of which, Dr. Posadas showcased the engineered bamboo facility of the University with its import quality products now starting to gain threshold in the local market.
In her presentation, she explained that the said project was anchored on the University’s aims to diversify its methods of teaching and curriculum gearing towards producing agripreneurial graduates.
“The engineered bamboo facility center in its main campus was realized to strengthen its programs and services not only to the students but also to its beneficiary communities and groups catered by our extension programs.
The facility will create new market opportunities for the assisted communities especially the bamboo producing farmers within the area and in nearby towns and cities. These communities are the recipients of the bamboo plantation project in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” Dr. Posadas stated.
She further continued by highlighting the advantages it can provide through this technology and innovation to address the needs of micro small medium enterprises (MSMEs) who are not capable of purchasing advanced machineries and equipment to enhance their products and introduce new variants and designs to increase their income and tap other market venues.
Equally significant is the socio-economic impact that the project offers as local skilled furniture makers in the area, adept in making bamboo crafts and furnishings with innovative conceptual abilities for higher marketability and product quality, will be given employment.
In this partnership with DTI, the academe is expected to provided Shared Service Facility (SSF) while the agency’s counterpart is the provision of training and capacity building for its partners.
With the comprehensiveness of the presentation, the sustainability of the project and the promising impact it could offer, Dr. Posadas was awarded first place among the entire region 6 presenters, and obtained 2nd highest rating in all of the 48 mentees from all batches. This was awarded during their online graduation last Jul 10, 2021.
In her speech, Dr. Posadas stated that the new knowledge and insights she gained from the training opened her eyes to a brand new perspective in looking for opportunities to improve the University’s current enterprise.
Truly, this is one leap forward for the institution to gain beneficial inputs that could provide a great breakthrough for enterprise development and innovation.
By: J.A. Emoy
Photo: M.F. Posadas