In December 2020 we recruited a cohort of mentors; in January/ February we used the RCOT regional groups to invite OTs to put themselves forward for mentoring in the pilot and a cohort of mentor/ mentee pairs were formed. In March 2021 we launched the three-month pilot programme. The pilot was tailored to the needs and learning styles of both mentor and mentee and, as people are now far more comfortable with connecting on screen, could be accessed virtually enabling us to match mentors and mentees who were geographically distanced.
During the pilot, we supported the mentoring pairs with additional tools and ‘conversation starters’ that addressed some of the common themes highlighted in mentee applications – themes such as ‘confidence’, ‘story telling’ and ‘difficult conversations’. We supported those newer to mentoring with developmental sessions and were also on-hand to provide any ad hoc advice to mentors and mentees.
The pilot ran until June 2021 at which point it was evaluated for benefit and impact.
At the end of the three-month pilot we sought feedback from participants via an online survey. Feedback was provided by 33 of our 34 mentors and 49 of our 54 mentees. We were delighted with the feedback.
Mentors and mentees highlighted increased confidence, self-awareness, openness to exploring new ways of thinking, giving and receiving feedback, reflecting upon and understanding how to deliver personal growth and change as some of the key benefits.
There were clear tangible benefits too with some mentees achieving promotion, getting approved to a Masters course, or changing tack in their career paths. We were particularly excited that 41 of our mentees from this cohort were willing to become mentors. This growth and willingness to pay forward is critical as the success of our programme depends on the ability to attract mentors to our programme, however there is no expectation that mentees do this.
Our second cohort in 2022 ran for six months. The short video below offers quotes from the survey at the end of the mentoring period. Also, read about the experiences of some our mentoring pairs in the case studies below.
