Leadership Toolkit

Mentoring

Many universities have mentoring schemes that draw on members of the community to work collaboratively with students in preparing them for life after graduation.  Griffith University runs a very successful Mentoring Program that each year matches some 200 students from all six campuses with 200 mentors in industry and the professions.  The Program enables students to get ready for employment, and it gives them a head start in all aspects of self- and career development.  Employers, for their part, stay in touch with the University and alumni as well as gaining awareness of potential employees.

The Program is conducted during second semester, and links final-year students with experienced professionals from similar career fields. Formal functions mark the Program's commencement and conclusion. At the start of the Program, participants draw up a Mentoring Agreement, listing the activities they plan to undertake during the following three months. While the formal events provide opportunities for networking and group interaction, most mentoring occurs informally, with students undertaking a range of activities that may include some or all of the following:

• discussion of workplace/employment-related issues with their mentor;
• attendance at workplace or professional association meetings;
• professional networking;
• work shadowing or work experience;
• obtaining assistance with the development of an appropriate résumé and effective interview skills; and
• participation in a project.

Students observe and monitor the quality of their learning throughout the Program by maintaining a 'Mentoring Logbook' of their experiences. Post-Program evaluations provide feedback that is used to develop and improve later Programs. 

For full details, visit:

Griffith Industry Mentoring Program:
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 30 October, 2006:
http://www.griffith.edu.au/ua/aa/ss/careers/mentoring/

To help your students become aware of the value of being mentored and mentoring others, get them to fill out the checklist below - the more ticks in the boxes, the better their level of awareness.

Mentoring - How Aware are You?
I have....	Personally experienced	Done for others
Identified strengths
Identified weaknesses
Offered encouragement
Connected with resources
Built self-confidence
Coached professional behaviour
Provided friendship
Provided reality tests for ideas
Confronted negative attitudes
Taught by good example
Explained the process of getting things done
Acknowledged good performance

Adapted from: Burn, B., & Payment, M. (2000).  Assessment A to Z: A Collection of 50 Questionnaires, Instruments and Inventories. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, pp. 121-122.

The following activity is also helpful in raising students' awareness of mentoring.  

Why not:

Ask your students to discuss the following questions:

• Is it important for the mentor and mentee to like each other?
• Can you identify two benefits that mentors would gain from participating in a mentoring program?
• What do you consider to be the most important personal characteristic of a good mentor? and
• How could a formal mentoring program help an organisation?

Adapted from: Burn, B., & Payment, M. (2000).  Assessment A to Z: A Collection of 50 Questionnaires, Instruments and Inventories. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, pp. 123-124.

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