Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs are an effective and low-cost way to:

• Achieve knowledge transfer and cross training
• Develop high potential individuals
• Facilitate career development
• Build a coaching culture within your organization
• Improve retention of key people
• Improve employee engagement (both mentors and mentees typically find the experience to have a high impact on their own job satisfaction)

However, achieving these results requires some structure, and this is where Kwela can help. The specific areas that Kwela helps facilitate is illustrated by the following process:

• Orientation for potential mentorsWe hold a short orientation session that aims to educate potential mentors on the role of the mentor so that they can make a well informed decision on participating in the program.
• Identification of mentors and menteesWe provide a framework, guidance and support for identifying mentors, mentees and for mentor-mentee matching based on criteria such as skills, experience and personal strengths.
• Facilitation of a “Get Started” workshopWe hold a session (typically 3 hours) that both mentors and mentees attend and that aims to get the working relationship off to a sound start. The meeting covers roles and responsibilities, the development of an agreement on the structure and focus of the relationship, mentoring skill development and the creation of the initial action plan for the mentee.
• Mentoring meetings are conductedMentoring meetings are self-directed between mentors and mentees and typically follows a structure comprising of a certain amount of meetings over a fixed mentoring period.
• Program evaluation & improvementWe administer an on-line questionnaire that is completed by both the mentors and mentees to determine the value of the program, and to seek feedback with a view to making continuous improvements to the program over time.

Time commitment

The total time commitment for both mentors and mentees is approximately 10 hours