How to mentor your trainee or apprentice
Anyone starting a new role needs support to boost skills, knowledge, confidence and faith in themselves and their ability to do their job.
Below we outline our top 10 tips for becoming a great mentor: Talk, teach, thanks, time, trust, listen, learn, lead, look, laugh.
“Effective mentoring is critical, it’s the difference between a pass and fail.”
1: Talk
Set aside time both for formal meetings and informal chats.
Formal meetings provide the opportunity to discuss the role, progression and provide feedback.
Informal chats could be over a cup of tea when you check in on your trainee and apprentice, ensure they are being supported, and also to talk about non-work related subjects that can impact on their wellbeing and mental health – if you’re in your workplace, don’t forget not everyone drinks tea and young people might not even know how to make it! Our Head of Traineeships, Lisa Brooks, in her interview ‘Why don’t young people put the kettle on?‘ explains more about why it’s important to take the time to teach trainees and apprenticeships.
Amy Ross, Head of Social Value at Higgins Partnerships says:
“We have an involved induction so they spend time with their line manager and get a very good introduction into the business. Each of our apprentices has a buddy or mentor depending on their role – whether it’s with us directly or on a contract – but it’s someone who they can ask questions to and talk to more on their level. We’re very big on wellbeing and mental health and we do regular check-ins on apprentices to make sure they’re on track or have any concerns so there are quite a lot of support systems in place.”
2: Teach
There will be terminology that is bespoke to your organisation from acronyms to industry jargon. Don’t expect your new trainee or apprentice to know these, and don’t expect them to remember everything the first time you tell them. Take time to invest in their development and teach them how your organisation works, from it’s ethos, values and best practice to operational processes.
We spoke with Saima Khan of CVC Components who started her career on an Apprenticeship and as soon as the opportunity arose to offer the same to young people she seized the opportunity. She said of the importance of mentoring:
As an employer you need to take responsibility as its your job to help them develop to ensure they become a well-rounded individual – it’s not cheap labour – this isn’t fair on them or you as they won’t pass and it’s a waste of time.
Effective mentoring is critical, it’s the difference between a pass and a fail.
3: Thanks
Give thanks and praise to your trainee or apprentice – this builds confidence, the individual will feel appreciated and will form a positive working culture. You’re demonstrating the result of someone else’s effort but this will also benefit you as employees value kindness over money in an organisation.
Researchers are finding that gratitude doesn’t just make you feel like a better person, it’s actually good for your health! Read more about gratitude!.
4: Time
You need to invest time in your trainee or apprentice. This is an ongoing commitment that will build up skills and knowledge. Don’t expect your new trainee or apprentice to hit the ground running, for a lot this will be their first time in a work environment. Take the time to check understanding.
Remember it will also take time for your trainee or apprentice to feel confident in their role, get to know colleagues and who is the best person to ask for help to resolve different queries.
5: Trust
Have faith in your trainee or apprentice – it will boost their confidence and you will reap the rewards. After you’ve taken the time to teach them skills and share your knowledge as a mentor, by letting them ‘get on with it’ is their chance to show you they can work unsupervised. From this, they will their build self-belief in being able to carry out tasks, may even suggest improvements to ways of working from their individual perspective so your organisation as a whole will benefit.
6: Listen
When your trainee or apprentice talks to you – actively listen. They may have problems or concerns about their ability to complete a task, they might want to talk about their mental health or wellbeing.
They might also have suggestions for new and improved ways of working!
“The keys to successful listening are being able to withhold your own assumptions (even temporarily) to prevent jumping to conclusions, demonstrating a genuine interest in the person you are listening to and trying to empathise with their position. True, active
listening takes concentration, but will demonstrate your interest in others’ views, gain trust and enable you to gain a deeper understanding of issues and situations.”
7: Learn
Your new trainee or apprentice has something to give back – they might be able to teach you a few things! Be open to new ideas and ways of doing things.
8: Lead
Lead by example. Your trainee or apprentice may look to you for how to behave, how to complete tasks and how to interact with colleagues.
Set achievable goals. These can be mutually discussed but as a mentor it’s up to you to effectively lead your trainee or apprentice and ensure you both get the most from the experience.
9: Look
Watch what your trainee or apprentice is doing. This doesn’t have to be obvious, but it gives an opportunity for praise if something is done well boosting confidence and self-belief, but also feedback if something is done wrong, or an opportunity to teach again.
10: Laugh
Laughter is the best medicine. Take the time to celebrate successes no matter how small. Laughter can also be a great ice-breaker, as employer Saima Khan demonstrates below:
I had an apprentice who had zero confidence, wouldn’t get on the phone, absolutely petrified. I remember my first telephone call on my apprenticeship – I waited until everyone was out of the office! Our apprentices need to build a rapport with our suppliers, we’re constantly sourcing parts, dealing with inquiries so being confident on the phone is a skill we really value. I racked my brain and then came up with an idea, I asked him to phone McDonalds and ask the price of a £1 cheeseburger … and it was such an ice-breaker! He was giggling and laughing, but he phoned them up and asked for the price and the person in McDonalds was kind enough to repeat the price back to him. It worked and it was how I got him to use the phone!
Read the full interview with Saima about the importance of mentoring and using Apprenticeships to develop people with the right skillset for your organisation.