A GUIDE TO MENTORING
WHAT IS MENTORING?
Mentoring is a process where an older and more experience person helps a younger person to achieve his/her potential. The older person (the mentor) offers advice, support and encouragement to the younger person (the mentee). The scope of a mentoring relationship is agreed at the start and can cover a range of personal, educational and professional issues.
WHY HAVE A MENTORING PROGRAMME?
A mentoring programme is introduced where it is established that there is a need. Following, are some indicators which can identify the need for a mentoring programme:
· Underachievement or non-achievement by young people in education.
· Drop-out of school or truancy, or students in danger of doing so.
· Limited progression to further and higher education.
· Lack of understanding of available education and career opportunities.
· Lack of ambition and self-confidence.
· Poor motivation.
· Isolation and alienation.
· Disillusionment with the education system.
· Cultural identity problems.
· Evidence of gender or social discrimination.
· Language barriers to achievement.
· Poverty and social disadvantage.
· Lack of exposure to the range of vocational areas.
· Lack of support at home.
There might be other indicators that justify the need for a mentoring programme.
There are reports, research projects, pilot programme results and surveys which can be used as evidence to support proposals for some kind of mentoring provision.
Evidence can include Government and private information and reports, results of own research or personal observations.
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