MentorsWork, the mentoring programme run by the Small Firms Association in partnership with Skillnet Ireland, is encouraging Sligo business owners and managers to take up its remaining 2026 places. The 12-week programme pairs each participant with a dedicated mentor and gives them access to masterclasses and peer learning designed to build the skills needed to adopt new technology and win new business.

The call for applications, confirmed by MentorsWork, is open to owners and managers employing between one and 250 people, with the average participating business currently employing between one and 50 staff.

Skillnet Ireland, the state's workforce development agency, is headquartered in Sandyford, Dublin, and received €63 million in exchequer funding for 2025 through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Small Firms Association, an Ibec-affiliated body representing small business owners across Ireland, delivers the MentorsWork programme directly to participating SMEs.

The structural driver behind the final push for applications is the scale of national uptake already achieved, with MentorsWork on course to support more than 900 SMEs nationally by the end of 2026 even as most applications to date have concentrated in Dublin, Cork, Wicklow, Limerick and Galway rather than counties such as Sligo.

Ken Finnegan, chief strategy officer at Skillnet Ireland, said MentorsWork is "a valuable upskilling resource for SMEs" and that the organisation is "seeing growing interest from SME owners in how they can adopt new tools, develop their teams, and strengthen their competitive advantage."

David Broderick, director of the Small Firms Association, said many business owners "struggle to find the time to look beyond the immediate demands of running their business," and that MentorsWork gives them the chance "to step back, focus on the bigger picture and gain the skills, confidence and expert support needed to unlock new opportunities for growth."

For the sector, MentorsWork's final 2026 intake confirms that structured mentoring programmes are increasingly aimed at closing a regional uptake gap, rather than simply scaling participation among SMEs already engaged in national training schemes.

Source: skillnetireland.ie / independent.ie