PLATO™ New Zealand
PLATO™ is an international business mentoring and peer support programme that is being introduced to New Zealand for the first time in mid 2008 as a pilot in the Auckland region.
PLATO™ brings together small to medium sized businesses with large corporates and is based on a programme that was first introduced in Belgium in 1988. Similar programmes are now underway throughout the world, including the UK and Ireland.
The programme offers owners and managers of small and medium sized business a unique opportunity to receive training and mentoring alongside like-minded companies. It is designed to complement some of the existing training and mentoring programmes already available.
One of the unique aspects of PLATO™ is that while the programme covers the key elements of running a successful business, the overall direction of each network is determined by the participants involved and their group leaders. This approach means that specific training and mentoring needs of participants will be met.
The Auckland pilot will include two groups of 10-12 participants. One group will be comprised of people from the ICT sector, the other a general mix of industries. Each group will have two group leaders from corporate organisations who will provide training, mentoring and expert advice.
Who's involved?
- A steering group with representatives from the private and public sector has been appointed to oversee the pilot and will provide direction and leadership
- Ministry of Economic Development hold the licence to run PLATO™ in New Zealand
- AucklandPlus are responsible for the overall delivery of the programme
- WHK Gosling Chapman will provide the training and facilitation needed for the programme.
Key Objectives
- To improve the understanding of the role that learning and peer support networks can play in building management capability in New Zealand
- To ascertain the sustainability of learning networks in New Zealand
- To implement a proven learning network methodology in New Zealand
- To measure the benefits of implementing that methodology
- To provide a platform for long-term sustainable and trustworthy exchange of experiences between its participants (managers/owners and group leaders/facilitators)
- To stimulate the transfer of management know-how from big companies’ staff members to SMEs
- To make an exchange of experiences possible between SMEs in different PLATO-groups
- To create a network of small and big companies where information, contacts and business opportunities are the issue
Objectives for the Zealand pilot programme:
Goals of the PLATO™ Network Concept:
More information
PLATO New Zealand general fact sheet.pdf
Information for Participants.pdf
Information for Group Leaders.pdf
PLATO Questions and Answers.pdf
