good practice mentoring trainees guide 2009
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This guide has been prepared as part of the ITO Literacy and Numeracy Good Practice project. This project, funded by the Tertiary Education Commission, aims to research, inform and develop good practice guidelines, tools and resources to support ITOs to embed literacy and numeracy into industry training.
The guide is one of series of good practice resources covering a range of activities that ITOs engage in as they respond to literacy and numeracy issues within their industries.
The guide was prepared by Dr Christine Holland, Work & Education Research Development Services, and was developed in conjunction with several ITOs.
The guide and supporting materials are available in PDF format on the Industry Training Federation’s website www.itf.org.nz
November 2009
Contents
Introduction 2
Whatisamentor? 2
Whyismentoringsoimportant? 3
WhatareITOs&workplacescurrentlydoingtomentortrainees&whataretheissues? 3
Whatmakesagoodmentor? 7
Whatkindsoflearningsupportshouldmentorsoffer? 8
HowITOscansupporteffectiveworkplacementoring 12
Examplesofliteracysupportservices 13
How-to-Guide:Stepsinmentoringanewtrainee 14
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IntroductionTheEmbeddedFoundationLearningPilotswereestablishedinNewZealandin2006.SincethenfundinghasbeenmadeavailablebytheTertiaryEducationCommission(TEC)toIndustryTrainingOrganisations(ITOs)toembedandstrengthenliteracyandnumeracyinindustrytraining.
TheTEC,theIndustryTrainingFederation(ITF)andITOshaveidentifiedtheneedfor,andsignificanceof,workplacebasedsupportforon-andoff-jobtraining.Arenewedfocusonworkplacementoringwillensurethattraineesgetthemostfrombothoff-andon-joblearning,andmaycontributetoincreasedcompletionratesforindustrytraining.
Thisguideprimarilydealswithscenariosinworkplaceswheretheemployersupportstheprogrammeandprovidessomeorganisationalsupportformentoringoftraineesundertakingavocationalqualification.
TheguidewillassistITOsto:• understandtheroleandpurposeof
mentoring• buildknowledgeofmentoring• encourageworkplacestoestablish
effectivelearningsupportsystems• facilitateregionalprofessional
developmentworkshopsandongoingnetworkingmeetingsformentors.
Focus of the guide Theguideshowshowworkplacescanimprovetraineementoringinvocationallearning.Itaimstoraiseawarenessofnecessaryorganisationalsupport.Itwillexploretheskillsandattributesamentorwillneedtobeeffectiveintherole.Finally,spotting,supportingandreferringthosewithliteracyandnumeracyissueswillbediscussed.
Note:ExamplesofactualmentoringinitiativessupportedbyITOs,aswellITOrepresentatives’comments,areincluded.
What is a mentor?Amentorisusuallyaseniororexperiencedpersonwhoprovidesguidanceandassistancetoajuniorornewemployee.Internationallyfavoured‘development’modelsofmentoringhavethefollowingcharacteristics:• theagendaisdrivenbythementor
andthetrainee• powerandauthorityareirrelevantor
putasideduringmentoring• thementorismoreexperiencedthan
thetraineeinoneormoreareasofdevelopment
• thereareregular,scheduled,structured,face-to-facemeetings
• therearespecificdevelopmentgoals• mentoringisnon-discriminatoryand
detailsarenotreportedtomanagers
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Why is mentoring so important?Mentoring improves workplace performanceMentoringisapowerfultoolinformalandinformalworkplacelearning.Itcanmakeasignificantdifferencetoanorganisation’sbottomlineby:• acceleratingthedevelopmentof
talent• improvingstaffretention• creatingahighperformanceculture
thatoffersarealcompetitiveadvantage
• reducingcostlymistakes.
Evidenceshowsthatitcanalsomakeadramaticallypositiveimpactontraineelearningandqualificationscompletions.
“We got a 90% pass rate. Someone has taken an interest in their outcome, and therefore they remained more motivated.”–ITOrepresentative
Mentoringcanassisttraineestounderstandthecultureoftheworkplace(i.e.thewaywedothingsaroundhere).Anotherbenefitisthattraineesseeanothersideofseniorpersonnel,whichcanstrengthenrelationshipsintheorganisationasawhole.
Mentoring increases the number and quality of training-related personnelTheforward-lookingorganisationwillinvestnotonlyintraineesupport,butinprofessionaldevelopmentformentors.Mentorsmay:• achieveformalqualifications• attendmentoringworkshops• networkwithothermentors• linktoITO-basedmentorsupport.
Personalrewardsformentorsmayincludejobenrichment,advancement,insight,stimulationandprofessionaldevelopment.
What are ITOs and workplaces currently doing to mentor trainees, and what are the issues?Offering direct supportITOscurrentlyprovidedirectsupporttotraineesandencourageworkplacesupport.Intermsofdirectsupport,alargenumberoftraineesworkingtowardsnationalcertificateshaveaccesstotrainingadvisors,regionalmanagersandapprenticeshipco-ordinators.IndustrytraineeswhoareModernApprenticesalsoreceivequarterlyvisitsfromtheirModernApprenticeshipCoordinator(whomaybepartoftheITOorfromanotherorganisation).
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Thesesupportpersons:• enroltraineesintoprogrammes• adviseonappropriatequalifications• reviewprogressandkeeptraineeson
target• guidetraineesthroughanydifficulties.
However,face-to-facecontactofferedbyITOsupportpersonsmaybetooinfrequentfortraineedevelopment.Inaddition,thesupportpersonsmayneedprofessionaldevelopmenttoguidetraineesthroughspecificlearningdifficulties.
Flooring ITO: Are you ready? IntheFlooringITO,theworkthatTrainingAdvisorscarryoutwithtraineesisledbythetrainee’sreadinesstomakethenextstep.Regionalcoordinators/trainingcoordinatorsworkintheworkplaceswiththetrainees.Theyspendaslongasisnecessarytogettraineesreadyforoff-joblearning.TheFlooringITOtrainsworkplacementorsaswellassupportingtraineesdirectly.Theyprovidethementorswithguidelines.
Supporting workplace mentoringWhenestablishingatrainingagreementITOsoftenrecommendthatorganisations:• supporttrainees’on-joblearning• preparethemfornewoff-joblearning• discussprogressafteroff-joblearning• supportdistancelearning.
ITOsmayalsoprovidetrainingresourcesformentorsandtrainees.However,workplacementorsneedprofessionaldevelopmentandrecognitionfortheirrole.Theyalsoneeddesignatedtimeandspacetoworkwithtraineesiftheyaretobuildaqualityrelationship,setgoalsandworkthroughtasksandissues.
Supporting literacyMentorsincompaniesareskilledintheirindustryjobs.However,mentoringhasdifferentskillsets,andmanyworkplacementorsreportthattheystrugglewiththerole.Inaddition,mentorsarenowencouragedtosupporttraineeswithliteracyandnumeracy.Theserequirementsmayoverwhelmpotentialmentors.Mentorsupportoftraineesinliteracyandnumeracyshouldbegivenwherethementorfeelsconfidentandable,andhasappropriateprofessionaldevelopmentandotherorganisationalsupport.Belowaretwogoodexamplesofmentoringinitiativesinvolvingliteracyandnumeracy.
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Joinery ITO (JITO) and NZCTU support for literacy and numeracy
1.In2007JITOestablishedapilottoexplorementoringissuesandtoestablishmentorsinglassandjoinerycompanies.Mentorsarenowestablishedinthisindustry.Theyeitherworkwithtraineesonaregularone-to-onebasis,orrunaweeklygroup.JITOhasalsoemployedaliteracyandnumeracysupportpersonwhoisableoffertelephoneandface-to-faceadvicetomentorsandtoimproveresources.ThishelpsJITOtobuildmentors’literacyandnumeracysupportoftrainees.
2.TheNewZealandCouncilofTradeUnions(NZCTU)hasbeenestablishing‘learningrepresentatives’inworkplacessince2006.Therepresentativessupporttraineesthroughtheirqualificationsandworkplacelearningandarecurrentlyworkinginthefollowingsectors:communitycare,construction,roadinginfrastructure,transportandfoodandbeverage.Theyaretrainedtospotworkerswithliteracyornumeracyissuesandtohelpthemtoaccessspecialisedsupportifrequired.
Establishing formal and informal mentorsSometimesthepersonidentifiedbythecompanyforthementoringroleisthesupervisor.Forsmallerbusinessestheemployerisoftenthementor.Insomesituationsthismaycreateapowerimbalance.Thishasthepotentialtointerferewiththerole,andneedstobemanaged.Someorganisationsuseinformalmentoring,wheretraineesaskexperiencedworkersforadvice,watchandassistthemwithsometasks.Traineesmightbegivenexplanationsbyexperiencedworkersandinvitedtosuggestsolutionstoproblems.
However,suchaninformalarrangementmayhavedisadvantages:• theamountofmentoringtimeneeded
maynotbeacknowledgedandsupportedbytheorganisation
• thequalityofmentoringmaybeinconsistent
• mentoringisunplanned• mentoringreliesonthetrainee’s
abilitytoapproachothersforhelp.
Formallystructured,employer-acknowledgedmentorstendtoworkwithtraineesone-to-oneorwithagroupoftrainees,where:• thementorandtraineehavebeen
allocatedspecifictimesandspace• goalshavebeenset• monitoringandevaluationofprogress
towardsetgoalsisputinplace.
Inoneinstance,amentorworkswithagroupoftraineesinanadministrativemeetingroomonceaweek.Thetraineessupporteachotherandasaresulttheirmotivationandlearninghaveimproved.
“Our evaluations show that for the trainees, [mentoring] gave them ‘something to focus on’.”–ITOrepresentative
Mentoring distance learnersManytrainees,especiallythosewhohavecomestraightfromschool,willnothaveexperienceofdistancelearning.Wherementorshavebeenabletogivedistancelearningregularsupporttothetrainee,therehasbeenamarkedimprovementinachievement.Thefollowingisanexampleofsuccessfuldistancelearningmentoring.
“Sometimes the administrator has a bit of mana in a ‘process’ sense, and can sign off on progress.” –ITOrepresentative
Office Based MentoringIntwoglasscompanies,administratorssupportdistancelearning.Oneadministratorworksone-to-onewithatrainee.Theotherworkswithagroup.
Each administrator:•organisesandkeeprecordsof
theworkbookandassessmentmaterials
•helpsthetraineetoplanhis/herstudy
•workswiththetraineetoidentifydifficultlearningareas
•helpsthetraineetoidentifywheretolocatetheinformation(e.g.internet,qualifiedtradesperson)
•helpsthetraineetodevelopinternetsearchingskills
•helpsthetraineetocompileandsendoffcompletedassessments.
Advantages include:•moreequalityinthe
relationship,andthusmoretrust/communication
•theofficeenvironmentisquietandprivate
•theadministratorislikelytobeabletosharespecificliteracyandnumeracyskillswithtrainees.
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Establishing Peer Mentoring or BuddyingSomeorganisationssetuptimeandspacefortraineestudygroups,or‘peermentoring’.Thisworksfortraineeswhoareconfidentaboutlearningandfamiliarwiththeindustry.Wheretraineeslackconfidence,selfawarenessandselfmanagementskills,orhavestruggledwithlearninginschool,theyarelikelytocontinuetoneedaskilledmentor.
Learning State: Peer mentoring for Māori LearningStatehasimplementedacoachingandmentoringpilotprogrammeforMāorilearnersemployedinaStatesectoragency.Theprogrammefocusesonco-coachingandpeermentoringforMāorilearnersworkingtowardscompletingaNationalDiplomainPublicSectorServicesMāori.Underthisarrangementlearnershavefourfacilitatedwānangaoveratwelvemonthperiod,monthlyconferencecalls,supportservicesfromtheirassessorviaemailandtelephone,andorganisedpeermentoring.
Providing ITO resourcesManyITOsprovidecompaniesandtraineeswithtraininghandbooksorotherresources,whichsetoutrequiredlearningandthesupportthatisneededfromthementor.HandbookslayoutwhattraineescanexpecttolearnforeachmoduleandlinkthelearningtotheappropriateunitstandardsontheNationalQualificationsFramework.Thelanguageofeducationalqualificationscancausedifficultiesforbothmentorsandtrainees,whoareunfamiliarwitheducational/course-relatedliteracies.ManyITOsarere-writingresourcesinclearlanguage.
What makes a good mentor?Mentoringwillhavemostchanceofsuccesswherethereisqualitytrainingwithintheindustryandasupportiveorganisationalcultureandpractice.Oncetheseareinplace,ITOsandworkplacescanconsidertheskillsandattributesheldbypotentialmentors.
Good mentoring skills and attributes Thequalityofthementoringrelationshipisvital.Agoodmentorwillbeabletoofferexperience,distance,balance,perspectiveandwisdomtothetrainee.Mentorswhobuildtrustandshowrespectfortraineeswillfinditeasier
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tohelpthemtoengageeffectivelywithlearningonoroff-the-job.Thetraineemustfeelthatthementorhasacommitmenttosupportinghis/herlearning,andthatwhatisdiscussedisconfidential.Aswellasbuildingtrust,thementorshould:• introducetraineestothevocational
culturesothattheybuildtheconfidencetocontribute
• motivateandengagetraineesinlearningabouttheirparticularwork
• supporttraineestocompletetheirqualifications.
Todevelopandmaintaintrust,thementormustrespectconfidentialityandbeabletolisten,askopenquestions,suggestalternativesandsupporttraineeswithoutjudgement.
What kinds of learning support should mentors offer?Differentmodesoflearningrequiredifferentskillsandunderstandings.
Mentoring for distance learning Distancelearningisacomponentofmanyindustryqualifications.Thismodeoflearningrequiresthattraineesundertakearangeofself-pacedlearningandtasksandcompleteadistanceassessment.
Ifthetraineehasaselfdirectedlearningcomponenttohis/hernationalcertificate,s/hewillneedthekindof
supportfromthementorthatwouldnormallybegivenbyatutor.Thementormayneedtosupportthetraineetomanagethedistancelearningprocessaswellasthelearningcontent:
A. Distance learning process• downloadingandorganisingcourse
booksandassessments• managingtime• meetingdeadlines• searchingandlocatinginformation• submittingworkappropriately.
B. Learning content Muchvocationallearningcontentwillhaveliteracyandnumeracyelements.Forinstance,traineesmayneedto:• understandvocabularyandjargon• interpretwritteninformation• provideoralandwritteninformation• calculateandmeasure• usetablesandpricejobs.
Thementorwillneedtobeawareoftheliteracyandnumeracyelementsinspecifictasksandtonoticewhenandhowatraineeishavingdifficulty.Difficultiescanbediscussedwiththetrainee.
Mentoring off-job course work and on the job learningTheremaybelowrecognitionofoff-joblearningwithintheworkplace.Wherethisisthecase,thementormaybeabletofacilitateemployer/traineeawareness
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ofthevalueofoff-jobtraining.Intermsofpreparingthetrainee,approximatelyfourweekspriortoanewcourse,thementorandtraineemightreviewupcomingcourserequirements.Thiswillhelpidentify:• whatthetraineeneedstotakewith
him/hertothecourse• whats/hehasalreadycoveredand
whatwillbenewlearning• potentialareasforpracticepriortothe
course,forinstanceincalculations,machineoperating,documentcompletionorreportwriting.
Aswellaspracticingskillstoprepareforacourse,traineeswillneedopportunitiestopracticeskillslearnedonthecourse,oncetheyarebackon-the-job.Followingcompletionofanoff-sitecoursemodule,mentorsareusuallyprovidedwithashortonepagereportfromthecoursetutorcontaininginformationabouttraineepasses,workyettobecompletedandissues.Withthesereportsthementorandtraineecan:• discussprogressandre-setgoalsfor
improvementon-the-jobandpriortothenextcoursemodule
• liaisewiththecoursetrainerinordertogainmorespecificinformationaboutsupportthementorcangiveon-the-job.
On-the-jobtraineelearningincludeswatchingandworkingwithexperiencedpeople,practicingwith
andwithoutsupervision,askingforhelpandsearchingindependentlyforinformation.Bettertraineeprogressismadewhenalloftheselearningmomentsareacknowledgedbytheorganisationandsupportedbyamentor.Again,thementorwillneedtobeawareoftheliteracyandnumeracyelementsinspecifictasksandtonoticewhenandhowatraineeishavingdifficulty.Difficultiescanbediscussedwiththetrainee.
Thebestcircumstancesforon-the-joblearningarewherethetraineehasabalanceofsupervisionandautonomyintheirwork,andavarietyoftasks.
Co-mentoringCo-mentoringenablespeoplewithdifferentandcomplementarystrengthstoshareresponsibilityforthesupportofatrainee.Co-mentorsmightinclude:• olderfamilymembersemployed
withinthesameorganisation• anexperiencedworkerwhospeaks
thesamefirstlanguageasthetrainee,whereEnglishisnothis/herfirstlanguage
• askilledworkersupportinganofficeadministratortomentoratrainee.
Informal mentoring in the communityTraineesmightbeencouragedtoexploreinformalmentoringthatcouldbeofferedbyfriendsorcommunity
memberswhoareworkingorhaveworkedinthesameindustry.Retiredworkersareanexampleofusefulinformalmentorsinthecommunity.
Mentoring through technologiesSomeITOshavefoundthattheycansupportyoungtraineesthroughtheuseofcellphones,usingtexting.Emailhasalsobeenused,withlesssuccessforyoungtrainees,astextingisthepreferredcommunicationmethod.Textingmaybeanoptioninsupportingtraineeswherehe/sheisontheroadoroutinthefield,ratherthanattheorganisation’ssite.
Literacy and numeracy supportThefollowingisasampleofworkplacetaskswhichhaveelementsofliteracyandnumeracy:• understandingcontractsand
agreements• readinginstructions,labels,supplier
informationandjobspecifications• planningroutes• estimatingandmanagingtime• readinggraphs• measuringandcalculating• understandingpayslips• pricingjobs.
Manynewtraineesmayneedtostrengthentheirliteracyandnumeracyskillsinrelationtothesetasks.Inaddition,thereareliteracyskillsthatareonlyusedintheformaltraining
environment.Theseinclude:• preparingfortests• takingnotes• explainingandsequencing
procedures• writingreports.
Traineesmayneedadditionalsupportwithdevelopingthesecourse-relatedskills.
The mentoring role, literacy and numeracyGiventhatmentorsarealsoexperiencedworkerswithotherresponsibilitiestheymustfulfil,therearelimitsonwhatcanbeexpectedwithintherole.Reasonableexpectationsincludethat:• Thementormaydevelopan
awarenessoftheliteracyand/ornumeracyelementswithinthejob,andmaydevelopskillsinidentifyinghowtraineesmanagetheseelements.
• Thementormayofferliteracyandnumeracysupport,suchasdiscussingthefunctionandpurposeofdocumentsandcalculations,demonstratinghowatask-specificcalculationcanbemade,orexplainingmeaningswithinabbreviatedforms.
• Thementormayhavedevelopedorlocatedusefultoolswhichcanbesharedwithtraineestomanagedifficultliteracyandnumeracyelementsofon-the-jobtasks.
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• Thementormayincreasecommunicationwithcoursetrainersinordertobetterunderstandcourse-relatedliteracies.
Responsibilityfordeliberateandspecificteachingofliteracyandnumeracyislikelytoneedadditionalallocatedtime,expressedmentorinterestandfurtherprofessionaldevelopment.
Mentorscan,whereissuesarebeyondtheirscope,helpthetraineetogetsupportfromspecialistswhocanprovidesustainedliteracytuition.
Tools to support literacy and numeracyToolsareoftenusedtosupportlearnerstomanagetheliteracyandnumeracyelementsoftheirjob.Thesetoolsinclude:• wallcharts• portablecalculatingtableslinkedto
pricingschedules• glossariesofterms.
Observing traineesMentorswillbeabletogaininsightsintoatrainee’sconfidenceandskilllevelthroughobservationofthetraineeattasksovertime.Literacyornumeracydifficultymaybeindicatedwhen,forinstance,atrainee:• avoidsdocumentation• makeserrorsindocumentation• takesformshome• asksotherstodowrittenwork
• asksotherstocheckcalculationsetc.
Howeverthesebehavioursmightalsoindicatethatdocumentsorhandbooksarenotclearlywrittenandothersupporttoolsareineffective.
Asking questions and recording issuesSkilledquestioningcanelicitinformationthatcanhelpthementortosupportthetrainee.Inthefollowingexamples,amentorchoosesquestionscarefullytogaininformationfromthetrainee.
(1) “Which of these units would you most like us to work on?”
Thewords“which”and“most”carryanexpectationthatalltraineeswillrequiresomeassistance.Theygivepermissiontotraineestoidentifyissueswithoutfeelingincompetent.Mentorandtraineenowfocusonanidentifiedunittogether,discusseachareatobecoveredandwhatcompetenciescanbeaddressed.
(2) “How do you...(currently manage this task?).”
Thisopenquestioninvitesmorethanayes/noanswer.Itenablesthetraineetotalkaboutwhats/hedoesatsomelength.
(3) “What is the main problem with/most difficult part of...?.”
Thisquestionisusefulifthementorneedsmoreinformation.
Overtime,mentorsmaynoticequestiontypesthatdrawoutthemosthelpfulanswers,andsharethesewiththeirpeers.
How ITOs can support effective workplace mentoring
“We train trainers, but I think ITOs also have a role in training mentors”–ITOrepresentative
• Trainingagreementswithorganisationsmightincludementoringtime.
• ITOsmightprovideongoingprofessionaldevelopmentincludingworkshops,networkingopportunitiesformentors.
• ITOsmightprovideanITObased‘hotline’telephonesupport,afrequentlyaskedquestions(FAQ)serviceformentorsontheirwebsites,andapasswordprotectedchatspacetobuildanetwork/communityofmentors.
• TheprofessionaldevelopmentofmentorsmightbeencouragedbyITOhostedworkshopsandsubsidiestoorganisationsenrollingmentorsinthefirstintake.
• ITOsmightdeveloptemplatesandothertoolstosupportworkplace
mentoring.Forinstance,templatesmightbedesignedforin-housementoringagreementsandformentorsandtraineestokeeparecordofoutcomesandissueswhichcanbeadaptedbymentorstosuittheircircumstances.
The Agriculture ITO: Farmers’ wives as mentors Itisoftenthefemalepartnersoffarmerswhoprovidethepastoralcareoftrainees.TheAgricultureITOwouldliketoworkwithfarmers’wives(throughtheirruralnetworkssuchasWomeninDairy,ortheRuralWomen’sNetwork)toprovidethemwithguidelinestohelpthemmentorthetrainees.Theaimisnottoturnthesementorsintoliteracytutorsbutrathertogivethemsometoolsthattheycouldusetohelpsupporttrainees.Thiscouldincludeadviceastowheretogetfurthersupportifnecessary.Regularmeetingswiththementorwouldhelpthetraineeachievetheirgoalsmorequickly.
Asinnovativeandeffectivementoringpracticebecomesmoreembeddedinindustryorganisations,itmaybehelpfulifITOsweretocollectanddisseminateinformationthatcould:• guidefuturementorsintheirrole• exploreorganisationalprogresswith
mentoring• evaluatementoringinitiativesovertime.
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Asmentionedearlier,somelearningissuesarebeyondthescopeofworkplacementors.CurrentlytheTECfundsLiteracyAotearoatoworkwithapprenticeshipcoordinatorsandtosupportModernApprentices.ThisinitiativemightbeextendedsothatmentorreferralstoLiteracyAotearoacouldalsobefunded.
Summary of suggestions for ITOs1. Thatmentoringprofessional
developmentissubsidisedbyITOsforthefirstintake,inordertoencourageparticipation.
2. ThatITOsprovideon-lineopportunitiesformentorstonetworkwitheachotherabouttheirrole(e.g.‘hotline’,FAQsupport,chatspace).
3. ThatITOsexplorewhetherspecifiedmentoringtimecanbeincludedintrainingagreements.
4. ThatITOsdeveloptemplatesandtoolsthatcanassistworkplacestoestablishmentoring.
5. ThatITOscollectandshareinformationaboutmentoringwithorganisationswithintheirindustry,inwaysthatrespectconfidentialityandsupportthementoringprocess.ThismightformpartofanoverallexplorationandevaluationofITOmentoringinitiatives.
6. ThatITOsandworkplacesmonitorandevaluateeffectivenessofmentoringtoincreaselearningandunderstandingofgoodpractice.
Examples of literacy and numeracy support servicesModern ApprenticeshipsTheTEChascontractedLiteracyAotearoatodeliverliteracyandnumeracysupportdirectlytoModernApprentices.ModernApprenticeshipCoordinatorscanreferaModernApprenticetoLiteracyAotearoaforanassessment.Theapprenticemayreceiveuptoamaximumof30hourssupport.
Workplace Literacy Targeted Fund 2009LiteracyAotearoaandEnglishLanguagePartnersNewZealand(formerlyESOLHomeTutors)arefundedbytheTECtoprovidenationwideliteracytuitiontoindividualemployeesorsmallgroupsofemployeesatnocosttotheemployer.
Thistuitionis:• flexibleandtailoredtoindividual
learners’availabilityandrequirements,andmaytakeplaceattheworkplaceorinacommunitysetting
• availabletofulltime,parttimeandcasualemployeeswhoareNZcitizensorpermanentresidents
• deliveredbyanationalnetworkoftrainedadultliteracytutorswhoarequalifiedandexperiencedinworkingwithadultswithworkplaceliteracyneeds.
Ifyouwanttoreferanemployeeorfindoutmoreaboutthiscontacttheprovidersdirectlyon:
LiteracyAotearoa0800678910orEnglishLanguagePartnersNewZealand08003673165(FORESOL)
Professional Development Support for MentorsWork & Education Research & Development Services (WERDS) hasconductedarangeofresearch,organisationalandprofessionaldevelopmentprojectsinmentoringandembeddedlanguage,literacyandnumeracy.WERDScan:• EvaluatecurrentandnewITO
supportstrategiesfortrainees.• WorkwithITOstodevelop
customisedandinnovativementoringstrategies.
• ProvideprofessionaldevelopmentfacilitationforITOsandcompanieswishingtoestablishorimprovementoringintheworkplace.
www.werds.co.nz
Workbaseprovidesprofessionaldevelopmentforindustryandworkplacetrainers,developsresourcesandmaintainsafreespecialistlibrary.Thelibraryincludesresourcesonmentoring.www.workbase.org.nz
How-to-Guide: Steps in mentoring a new traineeThefollowingstepsoutlinethementoringprocess,andhowITOscansupportit:
1. Establish a mentoring agreement including purpose/goals and honour itSomeITOsmaybeabletoestablishformalagreementswithemployersthatensurementorsgetadequatetimetosupportworkersonaregularbasis.Alternativelytheymaybeabletostronglyrecommendintheagreementthatmentoringisimplemented.Ifthereisnoformalagreement,thementorandtraineemightworktogethertodrawupanagreementoftheirownandhaveitsignedoffbyapersoninauthority.Anagreementmightspecify:• howoftenandforhowlongthe
mentorandtraineeshouldmeet• rolesofthementorandtrainee• conditionsofconfidentialitythat
ensuresafetyofthetrainee.
Theagreementshouldbewritteninclearlanguageandtestedfortraineeunderstanding.Oncealearningagreementhasbeenestablished,specificgoalscanbedecidedbetweenthementorandthetrainee.
2. Be clear about the role, maintain confidentiality, respect and trust Thementorandtraineeshouldbothunderstandtheboundariesoftherole.
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Thetraineemustbeabletotrustthementorandfeelsafebeforerevealingthespecificsupporthe/sheneeds.Anyinformationofferedbythetraineeshouldbetreatedconfidentially.Therewillbeapowerimbalancebetweenthementorandtraineeifthementorisanemployerorsupervisor.Oftenthiscan’tbehelped,butwherepossibleitshouldbeavoidedorputasideduringmentoring.Confidentialityandtrustwillbehighestwherethetraineehashadsomechoiceaboutthepersonwhowillmentorhim/her.
“My daughter raved about the opportunity to choose someone that she just ‘clicked’ with”–ITOrepresentative
Itcanalsobehelpfultothementorandtraineeifthereisareviewperiod.Thisallowseitherpartytowithdrawandforabettermatchedmentoringrelationshiptobeputinplace.
3. Induct trainees into training and establish goals Mentorswillneedtoprovidea‘bigpicture’inductionaboutindustryandorganisationalexpectationsoftrainees.Basedonthis,mentorandtrainee(s)shouldsetandagreeonSMART1goalsforthefirstagreedmentoringperiod.Thegoalsshouldberealisticfortheagreedtimeperiodandclearlywritten
onacalendarorchartaccessibletothementorandtrainee(s).Forinstance,traineegoalsoverasixmonthperiodmightincludesupportandassessmentin:• carryingoutaspecificjobtask• completingspecificworkplaceforms
correctly• successfullyundertakinganewjob
responsibility• preparingmaterialsforanupcoming
course• completingasetnumberofdistance
learningmodules.
Mentorsshouldhelptraineesto:• plantheirlearningtime• keeptotheplan• locateinformationandresources• developknowledgeandskills• managetheliteracyandnumeracy
elementsofthelearning.
Alltraineesarelikelytobenefitfromsomesupportwithliteracyandnumeracyasitisusedinanewlearningenvironment.Openlydiscussingliteracyandnumeracyissueswithalltraineesavoidssinglingoutindividuals.
4. Foster independenceMentorsshouldavoidtheurgeto‘fix’mentees’problems.Insteadtheymight:• listencarefully• askopenquestions• exploreconsequencesofparticular
actions
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1SMART:Specific,manageable,achievable,relevant,time-bound.
• makesuggestions• allowthetraineetomakehis/herown
decisions.
5. Record outcomes of each meeting, issues for further discussion, future meetings planned Individualtraineeoutcomesfromeachmeetingandfromthementoringperiodasawholeshouldberecordedforusebythementor and traineeonly.
Recordingoutcomesandissuesaftereachdiscussionwillprovideastructuretoeachsubsequentmeeting.Outcomeswillbebetterreachediftheyarewritteninclearlanguageandsharedwiththetrainee.‘Chunking’theworktomanageableunitswillhelpthetraineetoreachshort-termgoalspriortoeachmeeting.
6. Build a referral database Adatabaseoforganisationsandindividualswhocanassistthetraineeandmentoringrelationshipwillsupportthewholeprocess.Organisations/individualsmayofferspecialistservices
inlanguage,literacyandnumeracydevelopment,ortheymaysupporttraineeswithotherlearningandemploymentissuesbeyondtheremitofthementor.Someorganisationsmayhaveresourcesthatcanhelpthementorinhis/herwork.Thedatabasewillneedtoincludenamesoforganisationsandcontactdetailsofkeypeople,plusoneortwosentencesaboutthekindofhelptheorganisation/individualoffers.Atraineemaynotbeconfidentincontactingorganisations.Apracticerunmaybehelpful,supportedbythementor.ExamplesofreferralpointsforliteracyandnumeracysupportincludetheITOregionaltrainingmanager,LiteracyAotearoaandWorkbase.
7. Evaluate regularly Wherethetraineehasbeenachievingwellforsometime,he/shemaybereadytocontinuewithlessfrequentassistance.
Jointevaluationofprogresswillhelpbothmentorandtraineedecidehowtheywantproceed.
BUILDINGAMENTORINGNETWORKFORTRAINEESINWORKPLACES
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Acknowledgement:TheITFwishestothankparticipatingITOsfortheirgenerousassistanceincompilingthisguide,andtoacknowledgeDr.ChrisHollandofWork&EducationResearch&DevelopmentServicesforputtingthisguidetogether.
ISBN (Print): 978-0-473-15989-4ISBN (PDF): 978-0-473-15990-0
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