The Tasmanian Government has introduced a Keeping the Skills in the Workplace – Mentoring Program.

Given that Tasmania now has the oldest workforce in Australia, the program is viewed as a high priority to assist in the transfer of knowledge and skills in the workplace. Initially this program will be targeted in the state sector workforce.

Mentoring often provides a two-way learning experience for both the mentor and mentee, which can result in numerous benefits in personal, career, organisational and developmental areas.  Find out more about the benefits of mentoring.

The program has been designed as a practical program to help participants effectively develop and benefit from the establishment of a customised mentoring relationship that will meet both individual and organisational needs. It is anticipated that the mentee and mentor will successfully establish and implement a workplace mentoring relationship, with a principle focus of keeping and transfering knowledge and skills in the workplace.

It is expected that mentoring pairs will work together for approximately five months although it is highly likely that some mentoring pairs may wish to extend their working relationship beyond this time frame.

The program incorporates the following:

1. Two-day workshop
2. Review session/s
3. Ongoing support from the Public Sector Management Office (PSMO) and external facilitator
4. Program evaluation

Two-day workshop

• An understanding what mentoring is and defining the benefits to be achieved
• An understanding of what mentoring can be and what mentoring isn’t
• An understanding of the different roles of the supervisor/manager/mentor
• An understanding of the critical paths to success for individuals including the use of planning tools
• Defining what mentoring means for each individual and how the mentoring relationship can work to achieve success
• Identifying the outcomes to be achieved through the mentoring relationship
• Identifying and developing a plan to effectively manage any barriers and/or pitfalls that may impact on the success of the program
• Identifying what support that is needed for the program and plan how to obtain this support
• Identifying appropriate measures for success focused on outcomes.

The workshop will also cover:

• Communication styles
• Mentoring skills such as listening, coaching and giving and receiving feedback
• Identification of preferred learning styles
• Mentoring etiquette
• Support resource
• Evaluation processes

Review session

Approximately four weeks after the training workshop, participants will meet with the facilitator for a review session lasting two hours. This will enable participants to discuss progress, compare notes with other participants, raise any issues of concern and gain assistance in setting any further goals.

Dates for the review session will be confirmed at the two-day workshop. Where dates are not suitable, the consultant will review with participants the various options including phone discussions.

Ongoing support form PSMO and the external facilitator

The PSMO and Christina Bell from People Matters Pty Ltd will be available to support participants throughout the program.

Program evaluation

The evaluation strategy includes a program record of participant's motivations, goals and backgrounds, as well as an evaluation of their existing skills, capabilities, attitudes and work-relevant knowledge. The latter will furnish base measurements for the longitudinal study of improvements in skills, knowledge and attitudes that result from participation. These will be measured during the mentoring relationship, at its formal cessation, and at nominated intervals throughout the life of the program.

The evaluation strategy aims to furnish as comprehensive a picture as possible of the program’s outcomes, and their articulation with its principle focus on keeping and transferring knowledge and skills in the workplace. To this end, the Mentoring Program’s success will be evaluated in three dimensions, and from three perspectives. It will be measured in terms of:

• improvements in each individual participant’s knowledge and skills
• aggregate participation improvements in knowledge and skills
• across Government relevant outcomes, linked to Public Sector Management Office (PSMO) workforce initiatives.

Additionally, evaluation is conducted from the perspective of the:

• mentee
• mentor
• mentee’s manager/supervisor.

The evaluation program is conducted principally online, in a user-friendly format. Special software has been developed to fully automate respondent reminders, data collection and comprehensive report generation functions, which will be managed by the PSMO administrator and Nautilus analysts.

How to select a mentor

Potential mentees, in consultation with their supervisor/manager, are responsible for identifying a suitable mentor.

Mentee’s should carefully reflect on the specific areas on which they would like to focus. These areas should be related to the current position, or future work that will be undertaken.

Once the mentee has identified the areas on which they wish to work, mentees are encouraged to meet with and discuss the options with their supervisor/manager and seek their support and input.

While it is the mentee’s responsibility to source, seek out and approach a suitable person to be their mentor, the supervisor/manager may have some suggestions.

Important note: It is very unusual for the mentor to be the direct supervisor/manager as there can be conflict between the role of supervisor/manager, mentor and coach.  This should be avoided where ever possible.

Program registration

Registration forms should be completed by all relevant parties.

Mentoring Program Registration Form (MS Word Document, 169 KB)

Mentoring Program Registration Form (PDF, 169 KB)

Once the mentee has approached and gained supervisor/manager support to attend the program, and identified and approached a suitable person to be the mentor, and gained their agreement, the registration form should be completed and forwarded in accordance with the instructions on the form.

Grievances

In the event that a potential mentee has approached the supervisor/manager for support to attend the program, and the request has been denied, the mentee can refer to their own departmental grievance procedures where they have a grievance regarding the decision.

Confidentiality

In order to facilitate the development of trust and a safe learning environment, mentor pairs will be encouraged to discuss the issue of confidentiality at the beginning of their working relationship.

It is suggested that pairs agree that their deliberations will remain confidential unless both parties decide that certain issues will be discussed with a third party. For example, if the mentee is in need of assistance on a particular issue and the mentor is unable to provide that assistance, the mentor might recommend that the mentee speak to a colleague.

As part of their agreement regarding confidentiality, the mentor and mentee should also decide how and what the mentee will report back to his/her supervisor/manager. Keeping the mentee’s manager in the picture about the mentee’s progress in meeting professional goals is important in ensuring the ongoing engagement and support of the supervisor/manager.

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Further information

The benefits of mentoring >

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