Apprenticeship programmes represent a significant commitment by all parties involved; the apprentice, the organisation, and the training provider where this is external. So it never ceases to amaze me how little time and attention is often given to providing the best support mechanisms available to increase the likelihood of success for all parties.
An apprenticeship programme offers an opportunity to develop a unique kind of learning relationship with the primary purpose being to provide support, expertise and practical experience to someone who you see as having a potentially critical role to play in the future success of your organisation.
A proven way of increasing the success of apprenticeship programmes in terms of both retention and achievement is to put in place a formal mentoring structure and invest in training for those involved – both the mentors and the mentees.
Global Education Specialists have been at the forefront of the drive to get organisations to recognize the value of developing supporting mentoring relationships within organisations committed to apprenticeships.
We were recently privileged enough to work with a leading global organisation to develop an in-house mentoring programme as part of their reinvestment in their growing apprenticeship programme. This involved developing and delivering a series of workshops for mentors and mentees (the apprentices).
The mentors in this particular organisation were deliberately selected as being individuals who were not directly involved in the day-to-day training or assessment of the apprentices, but from others within the organisation who could act as ‘sounding boards’ and talk to the apprentices about their development and help them to adjust to often new situations and work through everyday challenges.
Should you wish to discuss how GES can support you in developing similar mentoring programmes then do get in touch through the website or by dropping an e.mail to info@globaleducationspecialists.com