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ITO Literacy and Numeracy Good Practice Project: Workplace Mentoring. Questionnaire Mentoring – what is it? Current industry support for trainees Characteristics of good mentoring Promoting mentoring Steps in mentoring Mentoring and literacy
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ITO Literacy and Numeracy Good Practice Project: Workplace Mentoring • Questionnaire • Mentoring – what is it? • Current industry support for trainees • Characteristics of good mentoring • Promoting mentoring • Steps in mentoring • Mentoring and literacy • What ITOs can do to support workplace mentoring
What is mentoring? Guidance and assistance to employees that is: • provided by a senior / experienced person • aimed at developing the employee • formalised and employer acknowledged • democratic and non-judgemental • conducted with regular face-to-face meetings • clear about its development areas and goals
What learning support is your industry currently offering? ITOs • Offering direct support • Indirectly supporting w/p mentoring • Supporting literacy and numeracy • Providing ITO resources Workplaces • Establishing formal and informal mentors • Establishing peer mentoring • Mentoring distance learners
What characteristics / attitudes are important to mentoring? • Commitment to the role • Trustworthiness • Respectful, non-judgmental attitude • Confidentiality • Motivational ability • Ability to listen and ask open questions • Ability to maintain trainee engagement • Ability to induct trainees into the w/p culture
An Example of AdministratorMentoring • Plan his / her study • Identify difficult learning areas • Identify where to locate the information (e.g. internet, qualified tradesperson) • Support developing internet searching skills • Ensure completed assessments are submitted
What kinds of learning should be mentored? • Distance learning towards national qualification • Off-the-job course work towards a national qualification • On-the-job learning for quals assessment • Specific workplace skills • Learning ‘how we do things around here’ (w/p culture)
Promoting the benefits of mentoring to companies • Accelerates the development of talent • Improves staff retention • Creates a learning culture • Creates a high performance culture • Offers a real competitive advantage • ___________________________ • ___________________________
Steps in mentoring new trainees • Establish a mentoring agreement • Build and maintain confidentiality, respect, trust • Induct trainees, establish goals • Foster independence • Record outcomes, and issues for further discussion • Build a referral database • Evaluate regularly
Mentors and Literacy The mentor • is not a trained teacher • may not be comfortable with some aspects of literacy • may have developed useful tools to support literacy and numeracy elements of their work • may be unfamiliar with course requirements
Examples of Literacy and Numeracy in daily work • Reading instructions, labels, supplier information and job specifications • Planning routes • Estimating and managing time • Reading graphs • Measuring and calculating • Understanding pay slips • Pricing jobs • Understanding contracts and agreements
Examples of course-related literacy and numeracy • Reading information • Searching information • Taking notes • Explaining and sequencing procedures • Preparing for tests • Writing reports • Summarising • Managing time schedules
Observing trainees Does the trainee: • avoid documentation? • make errors with documentation? • take forms home? • ask others to do written work? • ask others to check calculations? Do these behaviour necessarily indicate trainee issues with literacy?
Asking questions • “Which of these units would you most like us to work on?” • “How do you (currently manage this task?)” • “What is the main problem with / most difficult part of...?”
How ITOs can support w/p mentoring? • Include mentoring time in agreements • Subsidise first PD intake of mentors • Set up opportunities for on-line networking • Set a hotline for mentors • Provide templates for mentoring records • Share information • Develop a database of specialist services
Some external support for literacy / numeracy mentoring • Literacy Aotearoa working with Modern Apprenticeship Coordinators • Literacy Aotearoa offering free individual support to apprentices • Literacy Aotearoa offering English Language Partner programmes for new migrant and refugee employees • _____________________________________ • _____________________________________