A unique partnership has been formed between Lloyds Banking Group and Chief Officers 3rd Sector (CO3) to offer a new mentoring service to support the wider business community through charities and social enterprises.
CO3 is a membership organisation for leaders of charities in Northern Ireland with just under 300 members. They deliver a broad range of activities to help develop the leadership skills and capabilities of Chief Executives, Directors and Senior Managers in the voluntary/community sector across Northern Ireland.
The joint venture is to support the group’s commitment to their mentoring scheme by training industry professionals in Northern Ireland. The work with CO3 will enable mentors to be carefully matched to Senior Managers in the third sector so that they can share best practice and act as a sounding board to help them improve their business performance.
The training will took place on Wednesday 12 March at the Gasworks in Belfast where a number of Lloyds Banking Group volunteers took part in a mentor training programme designed by Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI). The programme will provide an opportunity for volunteers to achieve a nationally recognised qualification in Enterprise Mentoring.
Speaking about the new partnership, Jackie Jenks, Senior Manager in Enterprise Mentoring at Lloyds Banking Group, said, “We have been supporting charities and social enterprises through our UK leading Enterprise Mentoring Programme for over three years. We are pleased to be working with CO3 on this exciting new project to give our colleagues in Northern Ireland the access to supporting the third sector and developing talent within their local area.”
The mentoring scheme is a nation-wide programme, set up by the five major high street banks in conjunction with the Business Finance Taskforce and the British Bankers’ Association, with the overall aim of helping the economy return to sustainable growth by training industry professionals to share their own skills and experience with entrepreneurs.
Tracey McCreanor, Corporate Services Manager at CO3, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for senior managers and we are delighted to be working with Lloyds Banking Group to extend this important service to support our next generation of CEO’s.”
Also supportive of this new partnership, Jim McCooe, Group Ambassador for Northern Ireland, said: “I’m delighted to support this partnership in my role as Lloyds Banking Group’s Ambassador for Northern Ireland. It reflects the Group’s strong commitment to supporting customers, communities and colleagues in Northern Ireland and across the UK. I look forward to working closely with CO3”.