Mentoring can be described as “A temporary relationship that has at its disposal a range of helping skills from which to draw depending on the needs of the mentee at any given time.” These helping skills can range from tutoring at one end (showing the mentees what to do) to coaching at the other (allowing the mentees to find their own solution). In between these are taking the role of sounding board away from the constraints of normal working life, and of signpost to resources or other people who can contribute to the mentee’s development.
Another definition of mentoring is, ‘A deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced person with a lesser skilled or experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific competencies.’
A mentor will have had experience in the mentee’s area of work and can act as a wise friend. This is especially useful for staff and managers who are new in a job role and need that extra support.
IVITA Learning can offer mentoring in management, training, assessment and coaching. IVITA Learning can train mentors, offering ILM full awards and City and Guilds units from the NVQs in Learning and Development
As well as acting as a mentor, I have worked for several years on the Lancaster University Certificate in Mentoring with the NHS Healthcare Financial Managers Association.