Should my apprentice have a workplace mentor?
Posted on 23rd April 2024 at 11:58
Fareport recommends mentoring in the workplace to support your training with us as your training provider. Linking the apprentice with a workplace mentor will keep them motivated and engaged and show them that you value their learning programme. A mentor can be a manager, supervisor, or an apprentice who has already completed the programme. To help keep them on track, a mentor can typically spend an hour a week with the learner to discuss their modules and progress and offer encouragement and support.
Every apprentice needs access to a supportive workplace mentor – someone they can speak to when they need to, who understands and supports their learning and development needs, and the concerns that go along with what it means to be an apprentice.
“Mentoring relationships work best when they move beyond the directive approach of a senior colleague ‘telling it how it is’. An effective mentoring relationship is where there are learning opportunities for both participants, encouraging joint sharing and learning.” Source: CIPD Coaching and Mentoring Worksheet
Top tips for your mentors:
Take time to get to know them
Set expectations together at the start
Be part of all progress and OTJ conversations
Don’t be afraid to ask for help yourself, you don’t need to have the answer to everything
Make time for the apprentices to settle in or learn new skills
Be a role model, let them learn from you and the varying skills of others
Don’t underestimate them, people learn at different paces and in different ways
Don’t assume because you’re a good line manager that you’ll be a good mentor. Know your own strengths
Take the time to listen, especially when the mentee is feeling under pressure
Encourage them and celebrate achievement
Share your experiences (but don’t make it all about you)
Manage your time – an apprenticeship (and being a good mentor) is all about balance and time management
Plan regular mentor meetings, just like the apprentice needs to plan regular study time
Break down barriers and challenges together, one step at a time
You will learn a lot about yourself being a mentor!
Read about the experience of an apprenticeship mentor here: case study
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Tagged as: Achievement, action plan, Apprentice, apprenticeships, Benefits, commitment, expectation, FAQ, Line Managers, Mentors, Motivation, wellbeing
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