Sometimes the company where the student does his/her work-based learning is located so far that it is extremely time consuming to arrange the face-to-face meetings. However, it is still important that the employee/employer who acts as the work mentor gets the same training that those close by. Today, due to Covid-19, most people have up-skilled their digital competences and are comfortable attending online meetings/teaching events. This helped implement the online mentoring training.

Preparation

VET Provider
The VET provider appoints teacher(s) who are responsible for educating employers/employees to become work mentors face to face and/or online. The online mentoring training is built up so that it fits both national and school requirements. The VET-provider/teacher sends an invitation with a link to the online training to the employer. The teacher sends information to the participant(s) before the event takes place together with clear instructions on how to attend the event and what is expected of the participant. The VET provider prepares a Work Mentoring Certificate by using existing samples or creating its own.

Employer
The employer makes sure that it allows the employees time and the facilities to take part in the online mentoring event. The employer/employees attending signs up for the mentoring course and sends the teacher information so that they can send course and start information and preparing the Certificate that the employer/employee will get after finishing.

Implementation

VET Provider
The teacher conducts the online event according to a set plan. In our case the online mentoring event was split into 2 online training sessions. Before each event, participants receive tasks they complete prior to the course. The online mentoring session consisted of e.g. national legislation, rules, expectations on work mentors, how to collaborate, how to communicate, information about learning goals in the curricula, feedback and evaluation of skills.

Employer
The employer/employee participating in the event did the tasks and submitted them before the event. During the online sessions the participants discussed and asked questions relating to the topics being discussed and shared their views and opinions.

After the event

VET Provider
The VET provider sends the Work Mentor certificate to the employer. An evaluation of the event was made, and improvements were made to the online training course based on this. The certified work mentors were added into a register of certified work mentors.

Employer
The employers/employees who had participated in the course filled in the evaluation. The employer now had certified work mentors who had been updated in the new curricula and what was expected of a mentor.

Recommendations

We recommend arranging online Mentoring Training sessions regularly and disseminate these events on social media so that employers who want to provide their staff members with the opportunity to become work mentors are aware of this opportunity.

Create a register that contains information of all companies that hosts students during work mentors. Note the work mentors that are certified in this register. This makes it easier to follow up on who has a work mentor certificate and who hasn’t.

The Dutch Railways (NS) is one of the largest employers in the Netherlands. On the railway stations there are several franchised retail-shops by the NS itself. NS Stations considers it important that every employee can continue to develop. In addition, shops at railway stations have specific characteristics. It is important that knowledge and skills of employees are in line with this particular work. NS Stations also wants to engage employees by offering them a career perspective within the organization.

​Together with a VET provider, NS organizes the training of the employees/pupils nationally and internally.

The employee/student is assigned a work mentor who facilitates and supports practical assignments. In addition, the work mentor tests the assignments made and the acquired competencies. From the training institute there is a supervisor who regularly visits the shop. Together with the student and the work mentor, the practical tests and the progress of the training as a whole are discussed.​

Preparation

VET Provider
It must be clear what is expected of the work mentor. Both content and time investment are important. It may be that the employer supervisor needs training to appreciate what it means to be a mentor.

Employer
The work mentor must be well aware of the content of the training and be involved in the training programme of his employee. In order to be able to guide the student on the work floor, he also needs to have insight into the curriculum, both in terms of content and time schedule. The employee/student should be given sufficient time to carry out their practical assignments in the store.

Students
It is important to hold regular meetings with the mentor as part of a schedule of meetings. Be prepared to discuss your progress, what is going well and what you would like to see improved. Be open to receiving feedback, sometimes it will be positive, sometimes negative. Accept both and recognise that advice is given to help you improve on your performance.

Implementation

VET Provider
During the supervisor’s visits, the progress of the training is discussed. Both the state of play regarding the practical part and the theoretical study components need to be reviewed. Sufficient time must be allowed to discuss student progress, gather feedback and look to the future. Communication could be face to face or online according to agreement.

Employer
Provide sufficient time to provide feedback to the student and make time to review with the VET Provider as part of a tripartite meeting.

Students
Keep regular meetings with your mentor as part of an agreed schedule, avoid cancelling appointments.

After the event

VET Provider
Collect as much feedback as possible to support the student when back in the college. It is important to review the placement with the employer to see if anything could have been improved for future collaborations.

Employer
Before and after each ‘meeting’ with the work-mentor and VET provider, the student and the work-mentor will have contact. Sometimes things happen too fast or the impact is not clear enough for the student and will need continued support to reflect on the discussion. The work-mentor checks that all information is properly recorded and understood by the student. Where necessary, the work-mentor can explain and clarify matters.

Students
Be sure to ask for support and guidance if you do not understand the feedback. At the end of the placement be sure to get a recommendation or reference for future opportunities in the labour market.

Recommendations

The work mentor should be included in aspects of the curriculum and selection processes so that they are familiar with the expectations of the student and the work experience.

It is important for the VET Provider and employer to effectively communicate with the student. Employer and VET Provider should check to ensure that the student knows workplace terminology and college curriculum language.

In addition to formal contacts, VET Providers should maintain more informal contact with the student. WhatsApp and Messenger are good for this. For example, an interesting question also ensures that the student comes forward sooner if something is not going well.

When working with a large national employer, it was important that mentoring was available in all sites and branches across the UK. To facilitate this, the VET Provider and HR representative from the Employer met to agree a formal training programme for regional and branch managers so that supervisors could act as mentors to apprentices in Branches.

A programme was agreed with formal workshops to deliver the theory and practice of mentoring against a recognised qualification. It was an opportunity for managers to experience a formal mentoring programme and cascade within their branch network.

Preparation

VET Provider
A meeting between senior representative of the VET Provider and Employer agreed the principles of the programme and what it set out to achieve. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the mentoring would be measured according to the success of the apprenticeship placements with student satisfaction surveys completed during and at the end of the placement.

Employer
It is important to get the buy in from the mentors who would be taking part and ensure they have time to be able to support and mentor a student. By selecting Managers demonstrated an approach that was from the top down and give managers first hand experience of the benefit of mentoring.

Implementation

VET Provider
Training was based on an interactive workshop over 6 days (one per month). In each workshop, managers took part in simulated mentoring situations with examples of communication, questioning, listening, problem solving, action planning and recording mentoring.

Employer
Gather feedback of the impact the training has had and discuss with VET Provider.

After the event

VET Provider
Evaluate the training and make recommendations where needed. Review with the employer to gather feedback and make improvements to the training as needed.

Employer
Managers who completed the course were put forward for a recognised mentoring qualification. Mentors and students completed review questionnaires to see how successful the mentoring had been and how it could be improved.

Recommendations

It is important to get buy in from all levels within a large company and selection of the mentor is a very personal thing so the mentor will need to want to support a student and be given time to do so. It is useful if the mentor has regular contact with the student such as working alongside or within the same department.