Guide to apprentice mentoring

The purpose of mentoring

Mentoring is an important part of an apprenticeship and can provide much needed additional support to an apprentice.

It helps them understand their role in the organisation, develop their career path, and provide a listening ear if they’re facing any problems and challenges.

Mentoring helps people to learn and develop. Mentoring therefore has the potential to make a valuable contribution to apprentices in terms of their personal and professional development and to the overall development of the organisation.

Benefits for the apprentice can include:

• Increased confidence/self-esteem.

• Increased sense of value within the organisation.

• Additional help and support.

• Safe learning environment (can be open about vulnerabilities).

• Increased understanding of the organisation.

• Focus on specific skills through coaching from the mentor.

• Ideas about career opportunities.

The benefits are not all one way. Mentors too can gain a sense of value within the organisation as well as satisfaction from passing on their skills and wisdom; also, greater understanding of the organisation and its issues and problems, as well as improving one-to-one communication skills, coaching skills and management skills.

Role of a mentor

Mentoring is particularly important for apprentices as they are often young people entering the workplace for the first time. The mentor relationship provides additional support, guidance and pastoral care, which is outside the more formal line management relationship.

Mentors can help a new apprentice orientate into the workplace, provide information, advice and guidance relating to the learning and training aspects of the apprenticeship, and work with the apprentice to ensure that problems are resolved quickly and do not threaten the apprenticeship.

The mentor is not there to replace the apprentice's line manager, instead they will provide an additional supportive resource.

The role of the mentor can encompass any or all of the following depending on the specific needs of the apprentice:

• act as a sounding board.

• listen and challenge.

• question.

• provide professional and personal support.

• encourage independent thinking.

• keep to boundaries and principles - mentoring is not therapy.

• encourage the apprentice to come up with their own solutions to problems.

• coach the apprentice to make the most of their talents.

• build the apprentices self confidence.

• act as a role model.

• be someone to talk to outside the line management structure.

• offer insights into the culture and values of the organisation.

• share their experience and expertise.

• give feedback.

• provide advice where possible.

Responsibilities of an apprentice

Apprentice responsibilities include:

• Driving the relationship; scheduling time to meet with the mentor and maintaining an up-to-date record of their plan and progress.

• Working proactively with the mentor to assess their areas of strength, development areas, career goals and personal objectives and expectations of the mentoring relationship.

• Taking ownership for their own development and committing to the exchange of information including ideas, development themes, actions, feedback.

• Following through on actions discussed with the mentor, gathering feedback, and sharing personal learning.

• Respecting the mentor's experience, ideas, guidance, and time.

• Interested in skills building and goal setting, and a keen willingness to step out of their own comfort zone.

• Committed to the process and willing to learn from all formal development activities.

Who Would Make a Good Mentor?

A mentor should be someone from outside the apprentice's reporting hierarchy at work. It is also essential that issues between mentor and mentee are confidential. A mentor should be an experienced member of staff who has the following mentoring skills:

• active listening.

• questioning.

• building rapport.

• offering constructive feedback.

• setting targets.

• offering support and guidance.

• signposting.

• acting as a role model.