Supportive mentoring service launched by SET


By Alan Thomson Mentoring can be thought of as an extension to, or perhaps a distillation of, the larger communities of practice which generate so much support and developmental insight for teachers and trainers. A good mentor-mentee relationship allows


mentees to receive advice and guidance on a range of professional issues. A good mentoring relationship is also a two-way


street in which the mentor benefits just as much as the person they have taken under their wing. “There are so many benefits we can thread


into mentoring,” says Dr Linda Carter, a chartered occupational psychologist and a specialist on the Society for Education and Training’s (SET) new Mentoring Service. “It may be that a person is facing a particular challenge in their career, in professional practice or in professional development that they want some help with. “Whatever the challenge, mentoring is a


STUDIES CASE


partnership in which we emphasise the mutuality of the arrangements. Mentees receive help with their career choices and, equally, mentors will find that they develop their own skills.” However, finding the right mentor can be a less than straightforward, even daunting, task. In the absence of a formalised mentoring programme,


STUART BARLOW tuart Barlow is a former senior further education college manager who now


runs his own consultanc secialising in ualit imrovement in education and training tuart is a emer of ET and one of the mentors in the new ET entoring ervice


entoring is something  have alwas tried to rovide for m sta and ’ve een fortunate to have had a numer of mentors in m career, he sas entoring is aout heling eole to reare for the net stage in their career, or rung on the ladder f ou can get the est erformance out of our sta then ou will tend to get the est erformance out of our students As a sector, we have relativel recentl egun to thin seriousl aout succession lanning But if organisations can uild a culture where the give eole the confidence to develo their ractice and ste into new roles, then that rings tremendous enefits hile  thin all managers should develo the sills to mentor those who


reort to them, there is another, distinct mentor role As a mentee m most roductive activities tended to e with mentors who had no lin to m lace of emloment The oer a safe sace There are conversations that ou cannot alwas have with our line manager  advice is that, as a mentor, ou need to now ou can give enough time to it, and that there is enough shared eerience so that the mentee will gain from it And art of that has to do with the mentee eing clear aout their eectations from the start


26 ISSUE 31 • SPRING 2018 INTUITION


practitioners may find themselves at a loss as to who they ought to approach as a mentor or, worse still, ask the ‘wrong’ person. “It isn’t always easy to talk to colleagues or


your line manager about issues that are causing you concern – especially if your colleagues have exceptionally busy diaries or you may be thinking about a career move, potentially away from the organisation,” Dr Carter says. “Sometimes it is helpful to look for inspiration


elsewhere, a fresh perspective, different experiences, and to talk to someone who will offer some wisdom and encouragement.” SET’s Mentoring Service has recently got under


way with 16 members now matched with volunteer mentors from the Society’s register of experienced mentors and coaches. The matching service took a range of factors into account, including the aims and objectives of the mentee and the skills and experience of the mentor. The pairs are now finalising their mentor-mentee


arrangements, setting out things like the frequency of contact, the nature of contact (e.g. will they be by phone, FaceTime, Skype and/or face-to-face), the objectives, and so on. Templates have been provided by SET as part of


the service and both mentors and mentees will have access to support from the Society should they need it. “The aim is for mentors and mentees to put boundaries and a schedule around the relationship. SET’s involvement is very light touch,” Dr Carter says. SET will ask for feedback at the end of the first


cohort of mentoring arrangements, expected to run no longer than nine months.


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