Learning and Skills Mentor Level 4
To download a full overview for this qualification, please click here
Summary
The learning and skills mentor will be responsible for the mentor relationship with the mentee working within ethical and legal frameworks and organisational boundaries to support the progression of the mentee. They may work with a wide range of stakeholders to support the progression of the mentee and ensure best practice is developed and maintained. The mentor may be responsible for completing their own work to specification, with minimal supervision, ensuring they meet set deadlines.
Ideal candidates
The learning and skills mentor will be responsible for the mentor relationship with the mentee working within ethical and legal frameworks and organisational boundaries to support the progression of the mentee, typical job titles include.
- Academic Mentor
- Learning Mentor
- Occupational Mentor
- Technical Mentor
- Tutor
- Vocational Mentor
Qualifications
This is a Level 4 standard that embraces highly-varied course content – see next section.
Course structure
Standards
A highly-varied course content programme all delivered in person by Riverside’s dedicated coaches as well as guest speakers and specialists. The programme covers:
- the induction process
- diagnostic tests
- 5 Modules
- skill tests
- project work
- review sessions
Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours
Knowledge
- The roles and responsibilities of a mentor, understanding the organisational and professional boundaries, legal and ethical requirements, including safeguarding
- How to establish and manage a mentoring contract
- How to plan for mentoring sessions and review and revise action plans
- Mentoring theory and models, including maintaining good practice and protocols within the mentoring relationship
- Organisational and legal requirements for recording, storing and sharing personal information
- Strategies to assess starting points of the mentee, including potential barriers to development
- Methods of communication to maintain the mentoring relationship and review progress towards agreed outcomes
- Questioning and listening techniques
- Methods for providing feedback to inform progression
- The impact of their own values, beliefs and behaviours on mentoring practice
- How to provide accurate and relevant vocational/pastoral advice and guidance to meet mentee needs, including points of referral to other professional services
- Theories and models of evaluation and reflection
- Approaches to sustainable mentoring practice
- Opportunities for continuing professional development
- The role of supervision in supporting the mentor
- Evidence-based practice informed by own research
Skills
- Conduct sustainable mentoring practice within organisational and professional boundaries, and legal and ethical requirements, including safeguarding
- Establish and maintain mentoring contracts with mentees and where relevant, other stakeholders
- Conduct mentoring sessions according to agreed plans
- Implement established mentoring tools and techniques to help the mentee work towards agreed outcomes
- Maintain records of mentoring practice, complying with quality, confidentiality and data protection requirements
- Establish and use assessed starting points to establish agreed outcomes of the mentoring process
- Assess and review progress and achievement of agreed outcomes and revise action plans as appropriate
- Maintain mentoring relationship through a non-judgemental and objective approach
- Use questioning techniques to encourage reflection and progression
- Provide feedback to the mentee to inform progression
- Inform, advise and guide the mentee to support development toward agreed outcomes
- Apply theories and models of evaluation and reflection to support mentee development
- Monitor and reflect on own mentoring practice, including feedback from supervision, to develop self
- Apply evidence based mentoring practice informed by own research
Behaviours
- Demonstrate and promote sustainable practices with mentee
- Work to ethical and legal standards within professional boundaries
- Be resilient and adaptable when dealing with challenge and change, maintaining focus and self-control
- Demonstrate and encourage mutual respect, displaying a deep understanding of equality and diversity, with and between learners, colleagues and appropriate agencies
- Committed to improving their own professional practice in relation to mentoring
Examinations
2 stage assessment process
Assessment method 1 – observation with questioning:
- fail
- pass
- distinction
Assessment method 2 – professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence:
- fail
- pass
- distinction
The result from each assessment method is combined to decide the overall apprenticeship grade. The following grades are available for the apprenticeship:
- fail
- pass
- merit
- distinction