Mentoring network for equal opportunities handbook

PROJECT Mentoring Network for
Mentoring Network for Equal Opportunities(M-NET EOP) Equal Opportunities (M-NET EOP)
Project Number: 2009-1-TR1-LEO05-08675
Engellilere Eþit Ýþ Fýrsatlarý Ýçin Danýþmanlýk Aðý
LEONARDO DA VINCI Programme, European Commission,
Transfer of Innovation
www.mneteop.eu

CONTACTS
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, TURKEY
EU and Foreign Affairs Department
Karabas Mah. Oramiral Salim Dervisoglu Cad.
No:80 Izmit/KOCAELI
Tel: +90 262 318 16 43 / Fax: +90 262 318 16 31
e-mail: foreign@kocaeli.bel.tr
Web: www.kocaeli.bel.tr

MENTORING and WORK EXPERIENCE MANUAL
Existing Mentoring Programmes Implemented Throughout Europe, USA, Australia

Coordinator
Coordinator: Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality/EU and Foreign Affairs
Address: Karabaþ Mah. Oramiral Salim Derviþoðlu Cad. No: 80 Kocaeli/TURKEY
Telephone: 0 262 318 16 43 Fax: 0 262 318 16 31
Web: www.kocaeli.bel.tr E-Mail: foreign@kocaeli.bel.tr

Partners
Partners Address Tel / Fax / E-Mail

Marie Curie Association 31 Osvobozhdenie Str., 00359 32 62 21 28/00359 32
Plovdiv 4023, Bulgaria 62 88 90
info@marie-curie-bg.org
www.marie-curie-bg.org

Cv2, Djurslands Cv2 N.P Josiassens Vej 44 0045 87 58 04 54
Erhvervsskoler 8500 Grenaa, Danimarka jh@cv2.dk
www.cv2.dk

FEPAMIC Federación Provincial 00349 577 677 00/00349 577
FEPAMIC de Minusválidos Físicos y 679 64
Orgánicos de Córdoba fhenares.proyectos@fepamic.org
C/ María Montessori, s/n, www.fepamic.org
14011, Córdoba

Gülen Yüzler Sanayi Mahallesi Hayrettin 0090 262 335 15 88/0090 262
Uzun Caddesi Ýzmit/KOCAELÝ 335 41 86
muratuzar@beldeas.com
www.beldeas.com

Yerel-Sen Sanayi Fuarý 6. Cd. Hisar Sk. 0090 262 318 16 42/0090 262
No:10 Gölkenarý - Fuaralaný 318 16 06
Ýzmit / KOCAELÝ www.yerelsen.org.tr

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

The preparation of the Mentoring and Work Experience Manual led by
Marie Cruie Association on behalf of the Mentoring Network for Equal
Opportunities project.
Report on the Existing Mentoring Programmes Implemented
throughout Europe, the USA, and Australia
Copyright over it it held jointly by the partners in the M-NET EOP Project.
This Leonardo da Vinci project 2009-TR1-1-LEO05-08675 has an overall
commitment to the widest exploitation of its results and so we actively
encourage the widest possible use of this Mentoring and Work Experience
Manual. Contents Page
INTRODUCTION 5
Readers of the Mentoring and Work Experience Manual are welcome to use Mentoring in general 6
short quotations from it without informing the authors, but it is obligatory European Mentoring Practices 8
to give full recognition of the source for any such quotations. For any longer American Mentoring Practices 23
extracts, or reproduction of the overall document, users must seek Australian Mentoring Practices 27
Conclusion 28
permission in advance from the project promoter, Maria Goranova-
Appendix 1 Project titles and web - addresses 30
Valkova, of the Marie Curie Association (goranova@marie-curie-bg.org)

Users are welcome to draw upon the Mentoring and Work Experince
Version Date Comment Author(s)
Manual in the development and management of mentoring programmes,
subject to the requirement that they fully acknowledge its source and that
1.0 February Final version Petya Grudeva,
they inform the project promoter about their plans. 16, 2010 for approval Silviya Vaysilova
2.0 February Revised Mariya
In the shared interest of improving the quality of developments in this field 20, 2010 version Goranova-
it is hoped that users will provide the project promoter with a short report Valkova
of their work.
This report is developed as a result of WP2 of the M-NET EOP project which has been funded with
support from the European Commission. It reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

INTRODUCTION
A quick desk research in Internet shows that the number of mentoring
schemes applied by various organisations is slowly but significantly
increasing, especially in the last decade. The present report contains an
overview of the good practices in mentoring.

This selection of mentoring schemes is based on an internet search for
relevant models. It is inevitably biased towards examples available in
English. Most of the mentoring programmes collected in this report have
some presence at the European level. However, there are several
mentoring schemes that are exclusively American and one that is
Australian. They are included because they provide useful examples and
insights into important issues and through some adjustments they can be
transformed and referred to the needs of people with disabilities.
The aims of this report are to help readers to gain a full picture of the
mentoring concept, key characteristics and functions. It will also provide
you with examples of good mentoring practices carried out either within
transnational projects or as separate initiatives of different organisations.
Some of them concern mentoring of people with disabilities and the others
describe mentoring schemes where the involved mentees are people who
need additional training or support to improve their personal attributes
and professional skills. These programmes provide suitable examples
which could be easily adjusted and used by mentoring promoters to meet
the needs of people with disabilities.
The present report includes examples of face to face mentoring
relationships as well as the description of the so called online mentoring
run mainly in the USA. The summaries of the mentoring programmes
presented herein have been prepared purely for the purpose of this report
and the features highlighted reflect this. Readers wishing to obtain a
comprehensive understanding of the initiatives covered should go directly
to the relevant websites (see Appendix 1). The examples of the mentoring
schemes should not be relied upon for this purpose.

This report is developed as a result of WP2 of the M-NET EOP project which has been funded with
5

Mentoring in general They are together responsible for monitoring the progress of the
relationship, the extent to which it achieves its objectives and
The concept of mentoring is getting more and more popular among the deciding on any adjustments that may be needed to the initial
experts dealing with Human Resources development but it is still unfamiliar plans.
in some countries such as Croatia, Macedonia, Lithuania, Estonia, Turkey,
and others. Mentoring is essentially confidential between the mentee and the
mentor and the core of their joint work should normally remain
Traditionally, mentoring is the long term relationship of support, guidance
the property of the two people involved.
and advice. When held in the workplace a more experienced colleague uses
their greater knowledge and understanding of the work process and tasks Although mentoring becomes increasingly popular tool for personal
in order to support the development of a junior, inexperienced, or development it is not uncommon for it to be confused with other processes
disadvantaged member of staff. This comes from the Greek myth where of training and development. For example, it is most frequently confused
Odysseus entrusts the education of his son to his friend Mentor. It is also a with the coaching process.
form of apprenticeship, whereby an inexperienced learner learns the
Broadly speaking, the CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and
"tricks of the trade" from an experienced colleague.
Development)2 defines coaching as 'developing a person's skills and
The team of experts involved in Validation of Mentoring project1 outlined knowledge so that their job performance improves, hopefully leading to
the key features of mentoring tailored to people with disabilities. They the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets high performance
found that mentoring may be concerned with a mixed range of social and and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an
career development. However, despite differences between individual individual's private life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on
schemes, it normally has the following key characteristics: specific skills and goals.'
Mentoring is a relationship involving two people, the mentor and The following table, adapted by CIPD, highlights the differences between
the mentee. mentoring and coaching. It is separate and distinct from coaching, but
The mentor will have more experience of relevant areas than the coaching and mentoring can often overlap.
mentee and one important aspect of mentoring is to enable the
mentee to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the mentor. Mentoring Coaching
However, the relationship is essentially one where power is shared Ongoing relationship that can last for a long time Relationship generally has a short duration
between two people, the mentee and the mentor. Among some of
the important aspects of this are the following: Can be more informal and meetings can take place Generally more structured in nature and
as and when the mentored individual needs some meetings scheduled on a regular basis
Participation is voluntary for both mentee and mentor and either guidance and or support
can withdraw at any time.
More long term and takes a broader view of the Short-term (sometimes time bounded) and
The two of them must develop together the agreement that person. Often known as the 'mentee' but the term focused on specific development areas/issues
governs their relationship, specifies the practical commitment that client or mentored person can be used
each has engaged in and identifies the intended outcome of the
mentoring process.

6This report is developed as a result of WP2 of the M-NET EOP project which has been funded with This report is developed as a result of WP2 of the M-NET EOP project which has been funded with
7
support from the European Commission. It reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission support from the European Commission. It reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Mentor usually passes on experience and is normally Not generally performed on basis that coach In most cases the mentoring couples' meetings were held once a week.
more senior in organisation needs direct experience of clients formal
However, there were several who used to meet every day, and others, who
occupational role
met each other 2-3 times a week. The meetings were carried out in the
The focus is on career and personal development Focus generally on development/issues at work mentors' workplaces and one of the couples visited mentor's patients in
their homes.
Agenda is set by the mentored person with the Agenda focused on achieving specific, immediate
mentor providing support and guidance to prepare goals
them for future roles The meetings were predominantly concerned with practical activities,
according to the opinions shown in the evaluation forms. The earlier
Revolves more around developing the mentee Revolves more around specific development
sessions were concentrated on gaining knowledge and key skills.
professionally areas/issues

All mentoring couples worked together in accordance with a mutually
I. European Mentoring Practices elaborated development plan. During the process there was a possibility
for revision and actualisation of the Work plan and 25% of the couples used
1. Mentoring in the framework of Validation of Mentoring it.
project After the end of the mentoring programme all mentors agreed that they felt
Validating Mentoring is 2005 project within which three mentoring comfortable in the presence of their mentees, regardless of the fact that
programmes in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia were set up. Those the majority of them had had no previous experience with people with
programmes built on the experience gained from a previous project in the disabilities. 50% of the mentors agreed that they had not had any serious
Leonardo da Vinci Programme – “Equal Employment Opportunities, inconveniences during the process. A few of the mentors mentioned that
Mentoring and Training for Disabled people and Employers” where the they had some challenges in communication, due to speech impediments
European partners from Bulgaria, Greece and the UK elaborated a of their mentees and 25% declared difficulties caused by lack of motivation
mentoring scheme connecting young disabled final year students and for systematic work on behalf of the mentee.
recent graduates, still unemployed to a mentor, occupied both in position
After the end of the process all mentors agreed that they found the
and industry preferred by the mentee. Employers' network bringing
programme easy to use, both at their organizations and in other
together employers positive towards people with disabilities was also
institutions in the country. Based on their experience as mentors, they
established within VM project.
defined some of the advantages of the mentoring programme:
The mentoring programmes in the three above mentioned countries
involved as mentees less experienced people with disabilities and people an option for people with disabilities to gain skills useful for their
at risk of exclusion from the labour market. access to the labor market;
a possibility for people with disabilities to have an “inside view” of
Mentoring in Bulgaria their desired profession, and with the help of their mentor to better
Eight mentoring couples were involved in the mentoring programme in orientate themselves towards their duties and responsibilities;
Sliven, Bulgaria. One of them finished the process two months before its a chance for people with disabilities to receive good background on
end due to health problem of the mentee. the real working process;
9

an opportunity for people with disabilities to receive support and to tees found part-time jobs for accessories-making and packing. Beyond the
feel more self-confident. quantitative results, all mentees raised their quality of life – they received
access to socialization, found new friends and enriched their experience.
The main recommendation of the mentors was an extension of the
programme duration. Mentoring in Slovenia
The main project activity of Šent – Slovenian Association for Mental Health
After the end of the mentoring process, all mentees shared their and Dobrovita Plus Ltd. was implementation of piloting mentoring
satisfaction with the results of their mutual work with the mentors. In their programmes; their target group was people with mental health problems.
comments they also pointed out the personal characteristics and the Initially, they had formed six mentoring pairs, however two pairs quit the
positive attitude of their mentors as crucial qualities which helped them to programmes very soon so they finished the mentoring programme with
feel at ease during the whole duration of the programme. As a whole, the four successful pairs overall.
mentees experienced no substantial challenges while being mentored.
After the end of the piloting programme the Slovenian partner found the
In their final evaluations of the programme the mentees said that their implementation of mentoring in their target group rather challenging,
initial expectations were fully met. Some of the real benefits for them were: mostly due to the very nature of mental disorders. Although they sought to
raised self-confidence and self-esteem; choose psychically stable and interested individuals, periodical crises could
renewed willingness for job-placement and studying; not be avoided in certain cases. Therefore, they believed that prior to
acquisition of knowledge and practical skills, a chance for launching the mentoring programme, mentors should be provided with
professional realization; adequate information concerning various dimensions of mental health
an opportunity to express themselves; problems. It is highly recommended that mentors become more and more
sensitive towards individuals with mental health problems, yet at the same
a chance to consider themselves a complete person.
time they need to demonstrate a high degree of assertiveness in order to
avoid potential manipulations on behalf of mentees which are likely to take
The majority of the mentees had no recommendations for the
place.
improvement of the mentoring programme. Three of them declared their
wishes for more practically-orientated training programmes, tailored to With regard to the responses provided by both mentors and mentees,
people with disabilities. All mentees considered mentoring fully applicable through evaluation questionnaires and several informal talks, one can
in Bulgaria and very positive for the integration of disabled people into generally conclude that non-formal learning is an appropriate learning
society. method in the case of our target group. Thus, Mentees assessed the
mentoring programme as beneficial in terms of acquisition of knowledge
In accordance with the quantitative parameters discussed above, it could and practical experience which prevailed during the meetings with their
be said that thanks to the mentoring, four of the participants with mentors. The mentees reported they felt comfortable with their respective
disabilities changed their lives completely. Two of them found permanent mentors, who responded to their requirements and were appropriate for
jobs – at a foundation supporting disadvantaged people and in a factory for the mutual fulfillment of the development plan. Even though they
production of pastry. The other two of the mentees found part-time jobs for encountered certain challenges during the mentoring programme (such as
accessories-making and packing. Beyond the quantitative results, all men- problems with motivation or difficulties related to the lack of basic knowledge

11

of the mentoring subject matter), generally mentees considered the gular meetings for these couples in their training center in the city center of
mentoring programme applicable in Slovenia. They also affirmed that Bucharest. All the mentees were disabled (different kind of disabilities) and
mentoring is a useful tool for improving the integration of disabled people unemployed. The mentors were coming from different job fields: a web
into society and that mentoring programmes are beneficiary for both designer, a Marketing Manager, a Human Resource specialist, a
participating parties. Mentees were mostly satisfied with the way in which photographer, an advocate, a teacher, and an engineer.
they were prepared for participation in the mentoring programme by the
members of the project team. During the meetings they did specific job activities using informal and non-
formal training: they made photographs, wrote different articles, used
Similarly, mentors stressed that acquisition of practical experience was some computer programs, made easy translation Romanian-English-
both the focal point and the benefit of the mentoring programme. They Romanian, learnt how to find a job on Internet and how to apply for a job on
confirmed became familiar with mentees' professional abilities, knowledge Internet, how to write a CV and how they can be prepared for interviews,
and skills, crucial for the efficient mentoring process. They also mentioned etc. All these activities correlated with the mentoring project and were
different challenges and difficulties they encountered during the focused on the mentees' needs and desires. One of our mentees was
programme (for example a case of low responsiveness on behalf of one contacted by IBM Romania to be employed there after she finishes the
mentee, and a short psychical crisis undergone by another); however, it did University in the summer.
not crucially affect the mentoring programme as a whole. Although only
one mentor explicitly stated that the mentoring scheme is an adequate During these meetings the mentors faced some challenges with the
model of learning, they all confirmed that the mentoring process is a useful mentees with speech difficulties.
tool for improving integration of disabled people into society, that the
The Validation of Mentoring project helped the mentees to focus on their
results of mentoring programmes are beneficiary for both parties and that
skills for job hunting (they learnt different ways to find a job, to increase
they were properly prepared for participation in the mentoring by the
members of the project team. their self-confidence and strengthen their relation with the mentors).

Two mentees found a job soon after they were mentored. Although only
one of them was employed within the professional field in which he was 2. The mentoring within VOCA2 project
trained during the mentoring programme, it is important to take into Fourteen partners from seven different European countries formed a
account the collateral positive effects of the mentoring process that reach partnership to develop the VOCA2 2006 project, supported by the
beyond the narrow benefits of occupational training. These positive effects Leonardo strand of the European Union, to find ways of integrating disabled
include acquisition of life and social skills which enable mentees to function people into the labour market. The partnership built on the VOCA Europe
effectively in different social and/or working environments. project which developed flexible vocational training materials to allow
disabled people to acquire vocational qualifications in a manner and at a
Mentoring in Romania pace to suit them and their circumstances.
The Validation of Mentoring project gave to Romanian mentees the
opportunities to valorize their knowledge and skills. Much else had been done to ensure that people with disabilities have
access to vocational training and support in securing work. But these jobs
The Romanian partner formed 8 mentoring couples and they organized re- were often short-lived as both the disabled and their employers experience

13

difficulties they had not anticipated. The VOCA2 project aimed at ted parties working in relevant government departments, non-
facilitating a structured assessment of the potential employee and the tasks governmental, labour and voluntary organisations so that the mentors in
they would be required to do as well as the intended workplace, so that training can benefit from as wide a range of informants as possible. These
such difficulties could be foreseen and overcome. learning communities were being developed online and were linked by one
over-arching community portal in English.
The chosen approach was mentoring. Each disabled person had a mentor
who could assess the needs of both the potential employee and the 3. The mentoring within Access to Professional Training (APT)
workplace. The mentor would then work with both parties to find solutions project
to anticipated challenges. The mentoring relationship would continue until The duration of the APT project was 24 months (October 2005 – September
the disabled employee and their employer were both satisfied with the 2007); it was financially supported by the “Leonardo da Vinci” programme
outcome. A key aspect of the mentoring approach was that the mentee, the of the European Commission. It developed and implemented an innovative
disabled person, would be in an egalitarian relationship with their mentor. mentoring programme, based on the so called “blended learning”
Such support should result in more permanent employment for disabled approach. This approach includes a combination of various techniques and
people. practices to increase the effectiveness of the learning process. Alongside
conventional and online teaching, the experience of mentoring provided a
The VOCA2 project built on existing mentoring courses to develop one valuable support for the student's acquisition of learning skills, academic
especially tailored to this situation. This 'template course' was adapted to knowledge and overall competence.
cater for the different legislative and cultural backgrounds applying in each
of the seven partner countries. These tailored courses were then piloted in The mentoring program planned in the APT project included another
all seven project partner countries and best practices established and innovative element, concerning the nature of the mentor. In this case
he/she was not an employed person with richer working and life
disseminated in a handbook and many other channels such as
experience, but a colleague – a co-student from upper level, but of course
Communities of Practice, conferences and articles. The VOCA2 project then
within the same overall programme as the mentee.
worked to make the resultant mentor training course officially recognised
As clarified above, the mentoring program was implemented within the
by the authorities in the partner countries.
academic community in universities and colleges. In this way the project
The added value from the VOCA2 project lay both in the mentor training aimed at contributing to the involvement of disabled students in education
approach and in the competence assessment tools which the mentors were and professional training, to make it more accessible and to make their stay
trained to apply to the job placements of their mentees. in the educational institution much easier.

The mentor training approach transfered the elements of accessibility and 4. The mentoring within Empowering Employees to Manage
flexibility developed in the VOCA Europe materials since the mentors may their Outplacement Process (EMOP) project
themselves be disabled. It was built on social constructivist principles of
The target groups of EMOP 2003 project were vocational counsellors,
learning. This means that the training was built on guided dialogue
unemployed, and human resources experts.
between trainers and peers as well as amongst peers so that the potential
mentors learn as much from each other as from their trainers. The The project centred on the development of a counselling concept for
definition of peers extends beyond the training cohort to include all interes- workers who have become unemployed owing to outplacement and who
15

need to reskill. In the past, firms offered outplacement counselling only for 6. The mentoring within Peer Mentor Support Project
senior staff or management. No counselling was available for young people
The Peer Mentor Support 2002 project aimed at providing a peer
who were not taken on following completion of their training or for
mentoring service to support excluded or marginalised young people in
ordinary workers, employees or middle-ranking workers. The reason for
their attempts to gain access to training, education or employment.
this was the high cost of the one-to-one counselling of staff. The project
Building upon the developments of a previously funded Leonardo da Vinci
sought to test an Internet-based mentoring system offering support for
project (Peer Educator Training or PET), this project piloted the use of Peer
those affected that would follow up their counselling interviews. Help was
Mentors, working with specific target groups, and evaluated the efficiency
provided via online counselling, exchanges with other persons affected and
of this method as a tool for the successful (re)integration of the target
by psychological support. As an additional measure there were job forums
groups into vocational training and employment. The project closely
and links to placement services. The Internet platform would initially cover
worked with representatives of all the relevant agencies (including
the construction industry and the metalworking industry in eight
employers) who were or should have been involved with the target groups'
participating countries, where it was tested and subsequently transferred
efforts to live productive and independent lives. Through a process of
to other sectors. The final products were made available to counsellors and
individual action planning, in which the young person played a major role,
mentors along with companies and associations affected by the cuts in jobs
supported by a Peer Mentor, the agencies would identify what an individual
and the resultant redundancy of workers.
young person needs to be able to access training and employment, be it
housing, education, training or other support. Each partner in the project
identified a group of 12-15 young persons currently suffering exclusion or
5. The mentoring within Women in Job Creation (WO-JOB)
likely to be subject to exclusion from vocational training programmes as a
project result of their particular needs (offenders, people with physical or learning
The WO-JOB 2003 project was coordinated by TALETE SOC COOP ARL. It
disabilities), volunteers were then recruited to work as mentors to a group
aimed at implementing a model for female entrepreneurship based upon
of 2-3 individual mentees. In the longer-term, these young people
existing best practice. The project developed an on-line training tool
related to job creation and targeted directly to women. Following an initial themselves would be encouraged to train as mentors for other
survey, examples of existing best practice were gathered, analysed and disadvantaged young people, providing an appropriate role model to them.
used as a basis for the development of the on-line training tool. This Open
and Distance Learning (ODL) model was supported through the The outcomes of the project coordinated by Coleg Gorseinon College
introduction of a mentoring service, particularly during the more strategic comprised: a report detailing the Peer Mentor System (including a study of
phases of the training (organisational planning, implementation of the its' effectiveness as a means of supporting young people from a range of
business plan). A user-group of end beneficiaries (women) and selected different target groups in different geographic locations); the production of
training experts piloted the developed training module. The end results of the previously developed PET Training Pack in electronic form (CD-Rom or
the project included a publication on the "collection and analysis of existing internet) and in a variety of languages; the production of a Peer Mentor
best practice", the on-line training course and a supporting user guide, and Training and Support Pack able to be used to develop and deliver Peer
a dedicated project website. The primary beneficiaries of the project will be Mentor programmes across a range of situations and with a range of target
potential female entrepreneurs and experts in vocational training. groups with indicators as regards potential accreditation for the pack.
17

7. Mentoring within Empowerment through Mentoring to National Mentoring Consortium. Students under-represented in higher
Promote the Importance of Real Work Experience (EMPIRE) education are eligible to apply to the Brunel Widening Participation
Mentoring Programme for Widening Participation students. These
project
EMPIRE is 2008 LLP project. It introduces blended-mentoring as a new programmes aim to help students with the transition into work.
concept of quality person-based career development practice. EMPIRE
takes traditional mentoring practices and blends them with the latest National Mentoring Consortium (NMC) – Programme 1
technological advancements. Web-based mentoring makes interaction Brunel University has been successfully running the NMC programme for
easier, more frequent and less expensive. over six years. NMC is a national programme that is based at the University
EMPIRE will identify and test “blended” mentoring (mix of on-site and of East London. Students are matched to professional mentors within from
online events) schemes to give career counselling and development the public and private sector who meet with them monthly to discuss and
services the opportunity to adopt mentoring in their ordinary practice set goals around careers, job searching, applications, interview techniques
without the high cost related to a service totally based on one-to-one as well as building confidence in skills.
mentoring. Furthermore the promotion of blended mentoring will
contribute to prevent mentoring programmes fail due to time and location Widening Participation Mentoring - Programme 2
restraints. Professional Mentoring Programmes were established at Brunel for
Career advice and guidance services are among the most important students from widening participation backgrounds following the success of
institutions for the early identification of skill needs especially for those
The National Mentoring Consortium programme.
most likely to become long-term unemployed as well as for clients with high
qualification and skills profiles. Especially a more personalized advice can The Programme links undergraduate students to professional mentors who
enhance the employability of job-seekers and improve career support them in the transition from University to work and aims to
development. EMPIRE wants to make career development a more encourage students to gain graduate level employment.
collaborative service by tying up closer links between career guidance
The programme provides employers with a rewarding opportunity to
services and employers' associations and enterprises. Starting from a series
contribute to the career and personal development of Brunel students,
of focus groups, the project partners will lay down the base for the piloting
of tailored blended-mentoring schemes to be run with different target- whilst developing their own professional skills and building links with a
groups. A mentoring kit will be prepared to equip mentors with basic leading university.
mentoring tools. The final piloting phase (partly based on an on-line
support service) with mentees (i.e. the customers of career counselling
9. The model of Mentoring and Befriending Foundation
services) will produce several Career/professional plans and a reflection SEAL it with your peers - High Five Peer Mentoring Programme
journal collecting the daily impressions of mentees and mentors. The at St. Gregory's Catholic High School
experience as a whole will produce a set of guidelines/recommendations Peer mentoring has been an intrinsic part of the ethos at St. Gregory's for
for career development agencies. many years. The last OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education, Children's
Services and Skills) inspection (Jan 2007) judged personal development and
8. Brunel University Mentoring Programmes wellbeing as outstanding and specifically cited the example of older
Ethnic Minority Students are offered professional mentors as part of the students selflessly giving up their mornings and acting as mentors to Year 7
19

students in English and Mathematics. The High Five peer mentoring As part of integrating the peer mentoring programme into the school anti
programme is directed at enhancing the social-emotional environmental bullying policy, Lyndsey saw anti bullying week (17-21 Nov 2008) as an ideal
factors that influence learning, promoting a climate that is caring, safe and platform to raise awareness of the peer mentors as a force to tackle bullying
supportive. at St. Gregory's. During anti bullying week peer mentors went out into the
playground and into assemblies with giant lollipops to promote peer
The seed was planted for a peer mentoring project that focused on pupils in mentoring.
transition when specialist teacher Lyndsey Granton found that a lot of
vulnerable Year 7 pupils were waiting outside her room in the morning with Good practice highlighted by the project
problems relating to being in a new environment. Sometimes there were so Lyndsey has found working towards the Approved Provider Standard (APS)
many pupils that she would not get chance to talk to them all about their a useful tool for giving her project a renewed direction and increasing her
worries and the children began sharing and solving their problems. This was motivation to ensure the project is continuously improving. She has
the moment when Lyndsey realised that peer mentoring could make a successfully used the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS)
significant contribution to the transition of pupils at St. Gregory's. questionnaire programme to measure the outcomes of her project relating
to wellbeing.
After being successfully established in 2007-2008, St. Gregory's peer
mentoring programme joined the national peer mentoring anti bullying St. Gregory's also has an external mentoring programme in which
pilot. The pilot is being run by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation successful professionals are engaged from outside the school to mentor
(MBF) in 150 primary, secondary and special schools throughout England pupils. Inclusion Manager Wendy Dolphin has worked to ensure the
from 2008-2010. mentoring and peer mentoring projects compliment each other and
embed the concept of mentoring within the school ethos. Many of the
Recruitment and Selection pupils recruited to be peer mentors have a better understanding of what
When setting up the peer mentoring programme, Lyndsey started out mentoring involves from experiencing adult mentors within their school.
recruiting a manageable group of 10 peer mentors working mostly on an
informal drop-in basis. This has now developed into a team of 25 young
people who are trained over two days and focus on SEAL (Social and 10. The model of The European Mentoring and Coaching
Emotional Aspects of Learning) targets with their mentees each week. Council: European Quality Award
Selecting potential mentees is a four stage process at St. Gregory's: BT ETHNIC MINORITY NETWORK E-MENTORING PROGRAMME
1. The transition manager identifies pupils from feeder primary schools The BT Ethnic Minority Network (EMN), is a proactive, employee based, self help
2. Pupils who are not coping effectively with the transition from primary to group which is run by a small group of dedicated people over and above their very
secondary are identified from the school SEN register busy 'day jobs'. The EMN has grown into one of the largest company sponsored
3. The Head of Year 7 identifies pupils who have demonstrated poor networks of its kind in the world, since its inception 7 years ago, with thousands of
organisation in the first half-term and who have not adjusted well to the members world-wide.
secondary school environment
4. A drop-in service allows year 7s to deposit appointment cards for peer The EMN was established to encourage greater diversity throughout BT and help
support bring significant commercial, community and individual benefits to BT and its pe-

21

ople. The network has a key role to play in persuading, advising and guiding II. North American Mentoring Practices
individuals of the effective promotion of racial equality. The Network
contributes to the creation of a level playing field for all BT's people and 1. The mentoring experience of Big Brothers Big Sisters
influences decisions in the areas of Recruitment Policy, Personal Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest and most effective youth
Development and Training. mentoring organization in the United States. They have been the leader in
one-to-one youth service for more than a century, developing positive
The EMN vision is to become the leading company sponsored network in relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young
the world. Its mission is to develop and encourage BT's ethnic community to people. Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors children, ages 6 through 18, in
achieve their full potential, whilst supporting BT in the pursuit of its global communities across the country.
aspirations.
10.1 Community-based Mentoring – For as little as an hour a week, Bigs
The EMN E-Mentoring Programme has been set-up to provide a global and Littles meet in their community to share fun activities … stories … and a
reach and enhance the capabilities of its traditional Mentoring Programme little bit of themselves.
which, aims to develop individuals and help them discover their
capabilities, understand the culture of the organisation, remove barriers, Community-based Mentoring is the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters
break the glass ceiling, enhance their careers and achieve their full relationship. It's all about one-on-one time spent with the volunteer and
potential. the young person doing things they enjoy — a few hours a couple times a
month filled with shared interests and activities like:
Over the years the traditional Mentoring Programme has grown
significantly with Mentors being recruited from across the organisation in Shooting hoops
the UK, with varying knowledge, experience and cultural backgrounds. The Playing a board game
net result has been the production of numerous role models, higher Sharing a pizza
aspirations, increased motivation, better cultural awareness and improved
attainment. The aim of the E-Mentoring Programme is to achieve similar Taking a walk in the park
results but on a global basis. Or just hanging out and talking.
The E-Mentoring Programme will work alongside the traditional
programme and provide the much needed global reach by overcoming the The schedule can be flexible to meet the needs of mentors and young people in
barriers of distance and time. Mentors and Mentees will span the globe and different kinds of situations. Some Bigs meet their Littles on the weekend or in the
will be made up of people from BT, its Joint Ventures and Strategic Global evening. Others get together with their Littles after school. There's almost no one
Partners. so busy that they can't find a way to fit in a few hours a month, especially When
They Learn What a Difference Mentoring Makes.
The programme aims to build on the success of the existing scheme, which
National and state statistics show that children who are mentored are more likely
is highly respected within BT and is recognised as a leader in its field to improve in school and in their relationships with family and peers, and less likely
externally by other organisations. to skip school or use illegal drugs or alcohol. Students who are successful in school
The E-Mentoring Programme has got off to a flying start and has already attracted are less likely to drop out, become pregnant, abuse drugs or become involved in
people on to the scheme from across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and the USA. criminal activity. The success of children who are mentored is apparent in the fol-

23

lowing statistics. In a nationwide study, Little Brothers and Little Sisters lities from diverse multicultural backgrounds.
were:
2.1 Individual/Group Programmes:
52% less likely to skip school
2.1.1 Mentor Match Programme (MM)
46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
MM was founded in 1985 and intents to inspire young people to develop
More likely to get along with their families and peers their talents and abilities by means of an adult role model who has
encountered similar frustrations and experienced success. The Mentor
10.2 School-based Mentoring - Bigs and Littles meet once a week in Match program offers three types of mentoring options to better
schools, libraries and community centers, to talk and have fun. accommodate busy schedules and geographic distance:
Face-to-Face Mentor Match: For youth aged 6-24, mentors and
Kids enjoy School-Based Mentoring. And parents know what a difference it
mentees agree to a 1 year commitment and see each other once per
makes. But some of the biggest supporters of School-Based Mentoring are
month, and phone/contact once per week.
actually teachers. They see students come back from their one hour a week
mentoring sessions with confident smiles, ready to learn and ready to Youth who wish to be matched with a mentor are interviewed by a PYD staff
succeed. person to better understand their interests and needs, in order to find the
Kids Who Feel Better About Themselves Do Better in School. best match. Adult mentors undergo a thorough screening process that
School-Based Mentoring is not a classroom program, and it's not tutoring. includes an interview, criminal history and reference check. Participants are
School-Based Mentoring is one-to-one mentoring that takes place in the matched according to a variety of factors, including similar disability,
schools. Of course, some students do talk with their mentors about class, or common interests, career aspirations, hobbies and geographical proximity.
do homework, or read together, but it's really all about friendship and In addition to one-to-one contact, mentors attend mandatory group
guidance. They can play or jump rope or shoot hoops — whatever the training sessions and individuals are also encouraged to participate in fun
mentor and the student enjoy. Bigs don't need any special training or group outings sponsored by PYD once every three months.
certification.
2.1.2 Partners Online Programme (POL)
2. Partners for Youth with Disabilities - Mentoring programs Partners Online was created to enable youth and adults with disabilities to
that assist young people to reach their full potential (Boston) share resources, advice and encouragement through mentoring
PYD is a pioneer in its delivery of unique mentoring services for youth with relationships made possible with technology. Partners Online offers a
disabilities. In addition to its core one-to-one Mentor Match Program, PYD secure online community with forums and chat rooms and much more.
offers multiple innovative and effective group and educational programs Youth who are 14-24 have access to forums and weekly chats that bring
that build skills in the areas of independent living, self-advocacy, them together with other youth throughout Massachusetts as well as
entrepreneurship and career development and provide opportunities for Mentors, who can offer much needed advice. Forums and Chats cover
socialization, leadership, community service, healthy living and topics from independent living to sports to managing stress. Our forums are
participation in the arts. All of these programs provide role models who public and open to guests by signing on as a Youth Guest. An application has
share their own stories and inspire young people to gain confidence to face to be submitted to access all the discussion forums, chat rooms, mail and
their futures. Programs and events are accessible to individuals with disabi- talk with other participants.

25

2.2 Education/Training Programmes: largest national cross-disability membership organization in the United
2.2.1 Peer Leadership Program (PL) States, DMD connects nearly 20,000 job-seekers with disabilities with
thousands of employers in more than 300 locations in every U.S. State and
This programme is founded in 1998 and is targeted at 16-24-year-old Territory and in more than 24 countries worldwide each year. Over 2,000
people. Peer Leaders participate in training sessions that feature team participating public and private employers hosted mentees at their places
building activities, skill development and panel discussions on topics such of employment, with many continuing the mentoring relationships for
as leadership, conflict resolution, effective communication, advocacy, long-term periods.
disability awareness and independent living. All Peer Leaders learn the
value of community service and contribute a significant amount of time to
PYD programs and outside projects that will have a meaningful impact on III. Australian Mentoring Practices
the community. As inspirational youth leaders, Peer Leaders emulate the 1. Graduate Careers Australia
role modeling mission pioneered by PYD's adult mentors. Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) is the leading authority on graduate
employment issues in Australia. They use this position to foster
3. The mentoring experience of American Association for employment and career opportunities for graduates, in association with
People with Disabilities (AAPD) the higher education sector, government and business.
AAPD's Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) Program is a national job-shadow Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) Program
and career exploration program designed to link students and jobseekers
with disabilities to employers interested in hiring people with disabilities. The Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) Program matches job seekers or
AAPD coordinates DMD national through a network of more than 350 tertiary students who have a disability with Mentors in leading
volunteer DMD Coordinators. DMD Coordinators are responsible for local
organisations in the job seekers/students' field of interest for a series of
DMD programs and share information about their programs on the
approximately eight one to two-hour discussion meetings. During these
DisabilityMentor.Net.
meetings strategies focused on are:

DMD is recognized nationally on the third Wednesday of every October, Gathering information about the career environment they are
National Disability Employment Awareness Month. AAPD encourages our heading towards
network of DMD Coordinators to center their local DMD activities around Refining interview skills
this date; however DMD activities can and do occur around the country on
Experiencing the workplace culture (eg. staff meetings)
many different dates.
Developing better skills in presenting a professional profile
Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is a large-scale national effort to promote Disclosure and demistifying disability and related workplace issues (eg.
career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through workplace modifications)
hands-on career exploration, on-site job shadowing, and ongoing
The WAM Program was established through collaboration between Deakin
mentoring leading to internship and employment opportunities.
University and the University of Melbourne in 2000. WAM is now available
Hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the across Australia for any job seeker or tertiary student who has a disability on
27

a fee service basis. As we can see from the above described mentoring models there are
The premise underlying the WAM Program is that people who have a different types of support and training. Despite the variations there are
disability, despite being as talented as their peers, are often overlooked in some common issues that could be addressed to each mentoring
the fierce competition for career opportunities due to negative self- programme that aims at providing high quality model of mentoring
concepts, community stereotypes and general negative beliefs or support. They could be structured as follows:
assumptions about their ability. The preparation phase is crucial for the success of the mentoring
programme itself. Sometimes the improper matching or the sketchy
WAM has the potential to reduce those negative beliefs, and enhance research of the target groups' needs could fail the programme. That is why
personal/professional strategies (eg. networking skills) to assist people the mentoring experts recommend clear and in-depth research of all
who have a disability become more competitive in that challenging requirements and expectations that mentors and mentees could have.
transition from study to career.
Other benefits, which may flow from the WAM concept, include more Individual mentoring relationships will generally take place within
general positive cultural compliance and development in the workplace overall programmes, co-ordinated by a central agency or individual (the
and clarification of essential requirements of job roles in the workplace. 'promoter'). The promoter will normally provide essential support for the
individual mentoring partnerships, for example in recruitment and training,
The WAM applicants must be available for a training workshop, the six to
including advice in the development of mentoring agreements. But the
eight mentor sessions at the mentor's workplace, and a debriefing and
promoter should not take on any of the tasks that should be discharged by
certificate presentation event at the end of the program.
the mentor and mentee. To do so will undermine the shared responsibility
The WAM Program has now been documented and analysed as the focus of that is an essential requirement of successful mentoring.
PhD research by the WAM Program Coordinator, Kevin Murfitt. The PhD
research supported the evaluations from hundreds of WAM participants. Mentoring is not easy. Whatever their experience and however
Mentees gain significantly in their confidence, clarity of career direction, genuine their commitment, both mentors and mentees will require
professional profile, and strategies to make their workplaces more systematic and comprehensive training programmes. Furthermore, the
inclusive. duration of the programme will make a considerable call on their
commitment – typically mentoring programmes last for a period of months
and will involve regular, frequent, meetings.
Conclusion
Nor is mentoring without potential risk. Given that it is a close, even
The mentoring practices examples in this report show the extensiveness of intimate, relationship the opportunity for manipulation and exploitation of
the mentoring in the USA and its spreading throughout Europe. As a
one party by the other is always a real, if unusual, possibility.
response to the age of knowledge that seized the business world,
mentoring has gone to a great transformation. Now it is more orientated
towards the development of the individuals' inner power and their For more information about the described mentoring programmes see the
attributes. Appendix 1 with the relevant websites.
29

Appendix 1
Project titles and web-addresses

1. Validation of Mentoring
www.mentoring-validation.org
2. Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development
www.cipd.co.uk
3. Access to Professional Training project
www.apt-leonardo.org
4. Women in Job Creation project
www.percorsodonna.it/wojob
5. Peer Mentor Support Project
http://www.academic.salford.ac.uk/peer_support
6. Empowerment through Mentoring to Promote the Importance
of Real Work Experience project
http://www.empire-leonardo.org
7. Brunel University Mentoring Programmes
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/facts/access/mentoring.bspx
8. Mentoring and Befriending Foundation
www.mandbf.org.uk
9. The European Mentoring and Coaching Council: European
Quality Award
www.coachingnetwork.org.uk
10. Big Brothers, Big Sisters
www.bbbsa.org
11. Partners for Youth with Disabilities
http://www.pyd.org/mentoring_programs/index.htm
12. American Association for People with Disabilities
www.aapd.com
13. Graduate Careers Australia
http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/content/view/full/318

30This report is developed as a result of WP2 of the M-NET EOP project which has been funded with

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