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Mentoring Connections Newsletter
February 2006 
In this issue
New Year Greetings to all ! The year has started with a great deal of mentoring activity! We are currently assisting our clients with implementing graduate mentoring programs, a high potential mentoring program and general 'open to all staff' programs as well as continuing the roll out of long term, existing mentoring programs. There is a special focus on graduates at the beginning of every year. They are not only new to the organisation, but are most often at the commencement of their work experience and career. These early experiences will shape their future. Mentoring support during this vulnerable time delivers:
Studies of student criteria in choosing an employer who have a mentoring program right at the top. Provision of quality mentoring is also the reason that graduates stay, vastly reducing the commonly high turnover during the job rotations. It looks like being another exciting year as mentoring continues to grow in Australia, now expanding fast from organisations to universities, schools and community programs. The Growth Connection remains committed to supporting excellence in mentoring practice, offering over 15 years of national and international expertise. If you would like any further information on points raised in this newsletter or about any other aspects of mentoring, please contact me
Imogen Wareing
Stop Press ! New Clutterbuck release ! The latest offering from the David Clutterbuck, David Megginson rich pool of mentoring resources is now available! It is the Second Edition of "Mentoring in Action - a Practical Guide" and is packed with useful information about mentoring. The current research and models are summarised and explored, including the mentoring vs. coaching debate and even present variables around the matching process. There are 18 detailed organisational case studies and 9 individual case studies offered. They provide a range of methodologies, outcomes and the learning derived from them. Included is the Australian case study, written by Imogen Wareing of the Growth Connection, of the very successful Weir Warman mentoring program, now partway through its 3rd program. Imogen is the consultant and trainer to Weir Warman on the design and implementation of key aspects of the mentoring program as it rolls out across the organisation nationally.
We recommend this book to any one involved with any type of formal mentoring program. Here is how you can purchase it! New Year Sale ! - Mentoring Resources The Growth Connection stocks a select range of quality mentoring resources. The author, Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones is one of the foremost mentoring experts in the United States. Her accessible, thoroughly researched and well designed resources are a great addition to any mentoring program and her writing on the subject is always useful and practical. Linda Phillips-Jones products are half price while stocks last! This is a great chance to snap up a bargain to get you started in mentoring, energise your current program, or refresh your mentoring training. We have attached a list of current stock and an order form that can be faxed or emailed back as an attachment. Hurry, at this reduced price these products will sell fast! Note: The Mentoring Program Coordinator's Guide, Mentor's Guide and Mentee's Guide are very popular resources and the updated versions are now available. These new editions are not in the Sales and retail at the full price shown. Hot Topics - Mentoring in schools Mentoring in schools has been established in the United States for many years, and is currently gaining popularity in Australia as an effective way to support the unique needs of different groups in schools. Mentoring for new teachers and those new to executive positions is becoming more formal and provides essential support and guidance. However, the mentoring we will discuss here is student mentoring, specifically NSW secondary students who have been identified as 'at risk' and requiring extra support as they make pivotal career and learning decisions. In 2004, Jane Figgis produced a report for DEST titled "The Landscape of Support for Youth in Transition." It examined the ways in which students are assisted in their transition from school and dependence to relative independence in meaningful work. Jane nominated a list of successful criteria that was drawn up by the Australian Centre for Equity through Education (for the Prime Minister's Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce) which should be considered by those creating and coordinating youth mentoring programs. These criteria include
The NSW Department of Education and Training supports a number of mentoring initiatives. One of these is the "Plan-It Youth" mentoring program, which is a tightly structured program that was operating effectively in approximately 39 schools in 2003. The program is twelve months in duration and mentors are trained by TAFE, and then meet weekly with their mentorees at school for about 1.5 hours over a three month period, with further support for an additional six months. The figures from 2002 (latest figures publicly available) show that 95% of participating students have either stayed at school, become employed or enrolled in vocational education and training (DET 2003 Annual Report.) Other mentoring programs exist in individual schools, or with individual community groups. Many have a workplace component to allow students access to the world of work, and gain an understanding of how school relates to successful employment. The Catholic Education Office in Parramatta has one such program, the Lighthouse Project. Other groups, such as the University of Sydney Union have their own programs that link mentors (in this case, university students) with at risk students during the school day. Mentoring is an effective tool to assist students who are in transition to feel supported and heard. These initiatives are finding success in their local areas and hopefully the economies of scale that some programs are reaching will mean that mentoring will eventually be available to all those who need it - especially our most disadvantaged students.
References: Hot Topic - Workplace Mentoring Success Factors The success of mentoring programs in the workplace is far from guaranteed. Initial enthusiasm can falter, other priorities struggle for attention and many formal programs are poorly supported in the workplace. This is the first of a series of articles examining the success factors that are critical if mentoring programs are to deliver on their promises. Executive support is not optional. It is the first success factor and it is critical that the executive believe in the aim of the program and support those that choose to become involved. This may take many forms - financial, executive presence at events, formal time allocation to partners, inclusion in strategic planning (such as leadership succession planning) to name a few. The existence of support is the first step but equally important is that this support is visible. Sharing this fact, boldly and often, across the organization is the key to leveraging this support where it counts. Volunteer mentors will almost always be a better choice for a sustainable mentoring program than those who are told to become involved. This is, in part, due to the commitment mentors need to make to their mentoree: in time, in resources and of themselves. Effective mentoring is based on trust, and for mentors to model this in their partnerships they must feel comfortable and secure in their mentoring role, professionally and personally - not something that can be mandated but it can be assisted through training and support. Time influences many areas of a mentoring program. Successful programs ensure
http://www.telementor.org/
http://www.mentoring.org/
http://growconnect.com.au/ Upcoming Events Around the World
1. National mentoring month in the USA: January 2006
2. 19th Annual IMA's (International Mentoring Association) Mentoring Conference: 15-18 March, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA (Advance Notice)
3. National Conference of Business Mentoring: 14-15 March, 2006 in Orebro, Sweeden
4. Setting up a Mentoring System in an Organisation: 16 March, 2006 Holiday Inn Select, Alexandria, Virginia USA
5. Mentors Train-the-Trainer Program: 3-5 May, 2006, Chicago, Illinois
6. Setting Up a Mentoring System in an Organisation: 6 June, 2006, Chicago, Illinois
7. Mentoring: Building Employee Relationships: 11-12 September, 2006, Toronto, Ontario
8. EMCC Conference: November 2006, Cologne
The annual conference brings together researchers, scheme coordinators and practitioners of mentoring and coaching from across Europe
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