How a Mentoring Scheme Can Help Upskill Your Workforce

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Mentoring in the workplace is when members of staff are supported by individuals to achieve a set of goals through the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and best practices.

Mentoring schemes are often adopted by workplaces to educate, upskill, and inspire workforces, which can then support employee retention and career progression. This can make way for a happier workforce, and bolster return on investment (ROI) for businesses.

Mentoring schemes and programmes can be structured in a variety of ways to deliver the best experience to your workforce. From one-to-one mentoring, reverse mentoring, and group mentoring to peer mentoring, your mentoring programme can be formatted to suit your business and its people.

The type of mentoring scheme that you offer to your staff will be determined by a number of factors, such as:

• Organisational needs: Mentoring schemes can serve different purposes, from strengthening employee retention, increasing brand appeal, and improving staff engagement, to upskilling staff, and developing managers. With your organisational needs established, you can develop a mentorship programme that is fit for purpose and delivered effectively.

• Objectives: What targets do you wish your workforce will achieve through a mentoring scheme, and how can these best be achieved? Your desired results and the speed at which you wish to achieve this will drive your decision-making process.

• Accessibility: What style of mentoring programme will provide the best experience for staff on a practical level? The working environment will play a hand in this, for example, you may choose to provide virtual mentoring to support remote workers, or in-person mentoring to add a personal touch for office workers.

• Financial: How much money can your business afford to invest in its people through the launch of a mentoring scheme? While mentoring programmes can generate exceptional long-term ROI and boost retention rates, the immediate costs must be considered, such as providing access to additional resources and mentoring portals for both the mentor and mentee.

Mentoring schemes are a model example of how businesses can truly invest in their workforce and establish a long-term progression plan. Upskilling workers through this route can help arm them with the education and knowledge required to climb the ranks and embark on a journey of personal growth.

Upskilling Your Workforce through Mentoring

When priming a candidate for a promotion, or readying a staff member for more responsibilities, pairing them with a senior member of staff who has walked the same path can provide invaluable wisdom and guidance. Learning from a mentor who has first-hand experience can accelerate the adoption of new skills and provide a unique learning experience.

When a mentor and mentee are meticulously selected and perfectly paired, this can establish a relationship in which the candidate can learn and thrive. This provides an opportunity for personal growth for both the mentor and mentee. The mentor can share their knowledge and routes they have tried, tested, and approved, and the mentee can learn from experienced hands, to which they have unrestricted access as an employee.

Why a Mentorship Programme Is a Worthy Investment

Mentorship programmes can help prepare employees for a step up in their careers and ease the transition into a leadership role. For the organisation, it helps create a competent pipeline of candidates for future key positions in the company who are already armed with many of the skills and knowledge they will need to hit the ground running.

Mentoring schemes are often vital to succession planning as it helps establish a clear future chain of command and is also a route to finding future leaders from your existing workforce.

Author Bio

Jon Munnery is a seasoned insolvency and restructuring expert at UK Liquidators, instrumental in the recovery of financially distressed businesses and company liquidation.