15 June 2022
Fiona Porter has recently helped form a new Special Interest Group with a focus on mentoring. She writes about the the formation of the group, and how it will explore all aspects of mentoring in today’s organisational, public and charity sectors.
In the past few years, everyone working in learning and development has seen how mentoring has grown in popularity, as an intervention which supports people beyond training, providing a more holistic, person-centred form of development. Many would agree that being mentored is one of the most valuable and effective development opportunities you can be offered.
Post Covid-19, studies show that many of us are looking for ongoing support, as we rebuild confidence and self-resilience, and look for ways to continue our learning and development. We look to do this on a more personal level, where we will be given the opportunity to self-reflect, and receive feedback and individual support from peers and more senior colleagues.
Mentoring can provide this and meet these needs and as a CIPD survey reports, mentoring alongside coaching is an area of growth and provides the person-centred development that can be aligned to business needs both current and future. Mentoring not only helps the mentee, but has a ripple effect, developing the mentor and creating a positive company culture.
If, as the evidence shows, mentoring makes a significance impact on individual achievement and development, why doesn’t mentoring receive the same status and high profile as other learning and development initiatives such as coaching? Why isn’t it closely regulated and quality assured? Why is there the perceived belief that ‘anyone can be a mentor’?
I wanted to address these perceptions and create a network of mentors to discuss mentoring practice, raise the profile and value of mentoring, and ask how we can ensure the quality and best practice of mentoring within organisations and beyond.
That’s why we have formed a new EMCC UK Mentoring Special Interest Group. The group will bring together mentors and those involved in mentoring programmes. The aim of the group is to explore all aspects of mentoring in today’s organisational, public and charity sectors, and provide support to mentors by making opportunities for them to:
• share experience from their respective organisations
• discuss the many ‘flavours’ of mentoring
• learn from each other and help develop best practice through mentor training and quality assurance
• generate new and creative ideas and signpost research on mentoring
• collaborate with other members with a view to providing mutual support outside meetings of the group
• feel re-energised and equipped to drive the development of mentoring cultures within our organisations
• raise the profile of mentoring
The group is co-ordinated and chaired by EMCC UK and is open to any mentor or specialist responsible for mentoring in their organisation. We achieve our aim through regular webinars and workshops, Knowledge Exchange events, and supporting the EMCC UK board to represent members in the development of mentoring. The group meets bi-monthly on Zoom, with guest speakers and networking opportunities.
If you share a passion for mentoring and would like to get involved with this group, please contact Fiona Porter: [email protected]
Image: Mark McGregor on Unsplash