Mentors in new government network 'prevented from giving bespoke business advice'

The mentors taking part in the new government-backed mentoring network are not allowed to offer specific business advice to mentees, an organisation has claimed.

UK Business Advisors (UKBA) announced today it has decided to not join the MentorSME scheme funded by the British Bankers Association after "carring out a full investigation of the government's proposals".

One of the reasons behind its decision, UKBA said, is that "the terms of the mentoring programme are all about mentoring and specifically excludes giving any actual business advice to a business owner". The organisation said that whilst non-specific personal mentoring may be of help to some business owners, it believes actual practical hands–on help specific to that business is far more valuable. 

Responding to UKBA's comments, a spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills told BusinessZone.co.uk: "Small firms are the lifeblood of our economy and we are determined to give them every opportunity to succeed and secure the long-term growth we need. The British Banking Association's new mentoring portal, mentorsme.co.uk will play a vital role in helping businesses to succeed.

"The mentors involved will provide friendly, unbiased support and guidance, help with decision making and an external perspective. Mentors do not, therefore, provide specific technical business advice that would normally be provided by an expert business advisor. We'd expect mentoring organisations to refer businesses to business advice experts for this kind of support.

"We would advise anybody seeking business advice to make Businesslink.gov.uk, the government's online resource for business, their first port of call, which will signpost users to other forms of support."