If you are supporting an apprentice as a mentor, there’s a chance that you might be also fulfilling other roles in relation to the apprentice too. You might, for instance, also be responsible for line managing the apprentice, supporting the apprenticeship assessment, or coaching them in specific skills required for their apprenticeship.
Some people can find that wearing a number of “hats” can be tricky as it can be difficult to switch off from a managerial role where you’re telling the apprentice what they need to do, to one which is more ‘apprentice led’ where you’re helping the apprentice identify for themselves the actions they need to take to achieve their objectives. Here’s a short guide to how you can make multiple roles work for you and the apprentice.
Think about how you can compartmentalise your roles by remembering the boundaries
Think about the communication style required in your different roles and how you can effectively move between these. As a line manager it might be essential to outline a clear set of tasks for an apprentice without consultation in order that they are making the required contribution to the business. However, approaching a mentoring meeting in the same way where your role is to help the apprentice take responsibility for their apprenticeship and future career, is likely to result in lack of engagement from the apprentice in their future direction. It’s important to differentiate between when you need to lead and be directive (push) and when you’re in a more supportive mentoring role where you are more non directive (pull).
Set expectations with the apprentice
One of the ways to help with the above is to discuss this with your apprentice and set expectations. The “managerial hat” where you need to manage the work distribution and performance, and a more supportive “mentoring hat” when you’re helping them progress through their apprenticeship, identify any issues and help them plan their career progression. Make it clear that these two roles can require different communication styles, and how you will move between these roles.
Delegate where you can
Many businesses are just too small for there to be anyone else to be able to mentor an incoming apprentice. However, it’s worth identifying whether you are the only option. Could an existing apprentice develop mentoring skills and support them (it can be a great chance to develop their skills too), or is there someone that is less likely to be working directly with the apprentice that can take this role. Delegating the role doesn’t mean you can’t be a supportive influence to the apprentice, or use mentoring skills when supporting them generally, it just provides them with another source of support that can focus singularly on their development.
Maintain the trust
If you do have a managerial or assessment role with the apprentice, it’s useful to think about the what might impact on your success in terms of being able to mentor an apprentice. Trust is the key to a successful mentoring relationship and therefore if the apprentice feels reluctant to be honest with you as they’re worried about the consequences to their success in the workplace, you’re unlikely to be able to have effective mentoring relationship. However, if you’re perceived as a trusted source of experience and knowledge that has integrity in their relationships in the workplace, they are far more likely to be able to engage effectively with you in the different roles.
Be organised
If you plan to have regular mentoring style meetings with the apprentice make sure you develop a mechanism for recording those meetings and focusing on the objectives. Organisation is key here. If you arrive at the meeting rushed without the required documentation you use to review those meetings, or an idea of where you would both like to get to next, it’s too easy for it to descend into a quick ‘apprentice-boss’ catch up where little is achieved apart from a bit of time out and checking off a set of tasks. Planning how you want to manage mentor style meetings, what you want to achieve, and how you will both record outcomes, will ensure that they are a productive use of time for you and the apprentice.
Don’t get too hung up on the different roles
The truth is that many of the skills you learn as a mentor are also great managerial skills that enable you to empathise with your apprentice, listen to their concerns and how these might impact their performance, and draw on your experience and knowledge to support them. Learning a way to mentor effectively will help you manage well too, as you will develop a trusting and respectful relationship with your apprentice that aims to bring out the best in them, and that in turn will result in the best outcome for the business.
