NCPE’s

Mentoring Programme

25th May 2016

Annalise Frantz Senior Projects Executive

Presentation Overview

• An overview of the NCPE Mentoring Programme

• The outcome of the Programme

• The Journals of Experiences by the Mentees

• Main benefits of the Programme

• Challenges encountered and lessons learnt

• Update on mentors and mentees and their feedback 6 months from the closure of the Mentoring Programme

• Tips on successful mentoring

Programme Objectives

The main aims of the Mentoring Programme:

• To address the labour market distortion in relation to the representation of men and women in decision-making positions

• To address the under-representation of women in boardrooms

Overview of the Mentoring Programme • The programme spanned over 9 months:

March – November 2015

• Approximately 10 hours each month for a total of 96 hours

• 30 mentors were matched with 30 mentees

• Mentees were given training prior to the commencement of the mentoring period

Target Group

Mentees: Scope • To help students or women who are at the beginning of their career • To help women who work in junior and middle management positions to attain decision-making positions

5-day Training for Mentees:

• Communication Skills for leaders

• Self-Confidence and Assertiveness

• Critical Thinking for Decision-Making Skills

• Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

• Meeting local leaders; Assessment and Evaluation

Training for Mentees

Outcome Out of the Maximum 96 hours, the average number of

hours completed by the mentors and mentees was 89.

29 mentees received a certificate of participation. The mentors were given a letter of participation by NCPE.

Journals of Experience

• Submitted monthly by the mentee

• Confidential

• Tool for self-reflection and self-assessment

Overall feedback:

• Insightful

• Overall positive

• Observations and reflections on their growth and development over the course of the Programme

Salient issues:

• The qualities of a good leader in a decision-making position

• The benefits of working as a team

• The importance of time-management to achieve work-life balance

• Identification of one’s own strengths and weaknesses

• Self-reflection; on the mentoring sessions, on themselves and their character traits, on their career paths

• The qualities of a good mentor

• Empowerment

Journals of Experience

Main Benefits gained as denoted by the Mentors and Mentees

• Receiving guidance and support from a professional individual

• Being part of a professional network

• Having direct access to resources within the area of practice / expertise / interest

• Receiving concrete knowledge on the factors required to have a successful career

• Increasing the possibility of professional visibility and recognition

Benefits listed by the Mentees

• Progressed in their career

• Felt empowered to apply for better jobs

• Were more comfortable during the interviews as they were well-prepared

• Applied for / will be applying for further academic accomplishments, more in line with their goals

• Have a better / clearer view of what they want to achieve and where they want to progress to

• Personal and professional fulfilment, knowing that they have guided someone successfully

• Sharing of knowledge and ideas

• Meeting new people

• Making a positive difference in someone’s life

• Seeing the mentee’s improvement on a regular basis

Benefits listed by the Mentors (1)

• Understanding the challenges faced by the mentee and applying such a context to the mentors’ employees to be able to manage such situations better

• Forming part of a network of mentors

• Retaining a relationship with the mentee following the closure of the Programme

• Self-reflection on one’s own career, management style and decision-making processes

Benefits listed by the Mentors (2)

Challenges encountered Cause Effect Action taken Result

Lack of participation from potential mentees at application stage

The pool of applicant mentees was not sufficient to fulfil the Programme aims

Extension of deadline for submission of applications

Sufficient number of applications received

Lack of commitment by one of the selected mentees

The mentoring period between the mentor and mentee could not continue

Change in mentee; mentor was assigned a different mentee who was on the reserve list

Another mentee benefitted from the Programme

Lack of participation / communication by the mentees

Networking events could not come into fruition since there were very few confirmed participants

NCPE had to cancel the networking event between mentees

Effective networking could not be done between mentees

Feedback on the Mentoring Programme Feedback was requested from the participants

during the Mentoring period, upon closure of the Programme, and 6 months following the closure of the Programme.

The following are the salient points which resulted from this feedback:

• Training was also needed for Mentors

• More networking opportunities

• Less hours for mentoring / adapt the hours to the mentees’ needs

• Various mentors assigned to mentees so that mentees can have different viewpoints

• A more hands-on approach / less observatory role

• More realistic timeframe

Feedback on the Mentoring Programme (1)

• Certificate of participation to both Mentees and Mentors

• Provide a handbook / guidelines to Mentors

• Mentors’ payment – is it necessary?

• Mentees’ training session – include public speaking and presentation skills

• At application stage, possibly include an interview process

Feedback on the Mentoring Programme (2)

• Make available the service of other professionals during the mentoring period, e.g. psychotherapists, career guidance counsellors…

• Increase publicity of the Programme at application stage

• Widen the scope of the Programme

Feedback on the Mentoring Programme (3)

Tips for successful mentoring (1)

• Being professional, knowledgeable and maintaining confidentiality

• Providing encouragement, especially when discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the mentee/s

• Being well-prepared for each session

• Being flexible; sometimes the session would need to change depending on what the mentee is going through

• Ensuring that the sessions are engaging through the provision of real-life examples and experiences

• Creating a relationship of trust between the mentor and mentee

• Establishing short-term and long-term goals

• Collaboratively solving problems

• Where possible, offering job-shadowing so that the mentee can see how the mentor handles him/herself in challenging situations and thus learn first-hand what it means to be in such a position

Tips for successful mentoring (2)

For a more detailed overview of the NCPE Mentoring Programme, you may wish to view

‘Empowering Career Development through

Mentoring – Reflections on Mentoring for Aspiring

Decision-Makers’ Link: http://ncpe.gov.mt/en/Documents/Projects_and_Specific_Initiatives/Gender_Balance_in_Decision_Making/Empowering_Career_Development_through_Mentoring.pdf

Thank you!

Any questions?

For further information please contact:

NCPE, Gattard House, National Road,

Blata l-Bajda HMR9010 Malta

Tel: 00356 2590 3850 Email: equality@gov.mt / annalise.frantz@gov.mt Web: www.equality.gov.mt National Commission for the Promotion of Equality