good practice mentoring trainees guide 2009

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

BUILDINGAMENTORINGNETWORKFORTRAINEESINWORKPLACES

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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.


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Acknowledgement:TheITFwishestothankparticipatingITOsfortheirgenerousassistanceincompilingthisguide,andtoacknowledgeDr.ChrisHollandofWork&EducationResearch&DevelopmentServicesforputtingthisguidetogether.

ISBN (Print): 978-0-473-15989-4ISBN (PDF): 978-0-473-15990-0