PUBLIC CALL FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM OF PROVIDING STANDARDIZED MENTORING SERVICES TO SECTORS OF THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN 2020

A public call for a free mentoring service as part of the "Program to provide standardized mentoring services to sectors of the manufacturing industry in 2020" has been announced. The program is intended for micro, small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs, who operate in one of the sectors of the processing industry grouped into four areas, namely: machinery and equipment industry; food industry; wood and furniture industry and rubber and plastic industry.

The public call is open until April 10, 2020.

Mentoring is a free service that provides comprehensive support to users through an individual approach. The mentoring process takes place according to the methodology of the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS), developed in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Mentoring helps the owner or director of the company to recognize the key point of the potential of their business, and with the help of mentoring, the user develops and implements an action plan aimed at improving business results. The mentors have professional experience in working with small and medium-sized enterprises, they come from 17 accredited regional development agencies and are certified by the Development Agency of Serbia, in cooperation with the Japan Agency for International Cooperation. So far, about 2,400 users have used the mentoring service in Serbia. According to the data, a cumulative increase in business profit by 15% compared to the previous year was recorded in those economic entities.

The right to participate in the Program has the right to micro, small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs, who meet the following conditions:

• that they were registered on the territory of the Republic of Serbia before February 2017;
• that they perform activities within one of the sectors of the processing industry grouped into four areas, namely: machinery and equipment industry; food industry; wood and furniture industry and the rubber and plastic industry
• that they have settled their tax and contribution obligations;
• that they are majority privately owned.

Public invitation, Instructions and application forms are available on the website of RAS, www.ras.gov.rs, as well as on the websites of accredited development agencies (ARRA) and in printed form in ARRA.
For more detailed information, you can contact RAS at e-mail: mentoring4sektora@ras.gov.rs or phone number: 011/3398 809.

Supporting documentation:

1. Text of the Public calls
2. Form 1
3. Evaluation form application
4. Appendix 1 - List of classification activities
5. Instructions