Mentoring Program

The Mentoring Program facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, skills and perspectives within Local Government by providing an opportunity for professionals at all levels to learn from each other to progress their own careers.

It has been developed by experienced leaders and decision makers in the sector to ensure the content is relevant to Local Government. 

About the program


Through the program, a mentor (experienced individual) is assigned to guide and advise a mentee (learner) over an eight-month period. Both participants are supported to form a professional relationship based upon openness, mutual trust, respect, encouragement and a willingness to share and learn from expertise and experiences.

Mentees learn from their mentor’s experience so they can enhance their skills and build their knowledge of the sector. They also receive informed advice on how to develop clear goals and pathways to advance their career in Local Government.

Mentors benefit from developing their leadership skills and improving their ability to guide others. They are also able to reflect on their own practices and gain exposure to new ideas, interests and opportunities.

The program benefits councils as it builds capacity across the sector by facilitating the transferring of knowledge between experienced and inexperienced officers and supports the development of current and future leaders at all levels of the organisation.
Mentor/Mentee Relationship
To get the most from a mentor-mentee relationship, LGPro recommends they meet at least once a month. Many choose to meet more regularly to manage desired goals and outcomes more effectively. However, the frequency and duration of meetings can vary during the course of the program as individual needs change. We recommend that most meetings are face to face to ensure participants form a closer relationship and build trust more easily. However, as a cross-Council mentoring program, this may not always be possible. Alternative means of communication such as telephone or Teams meetings may sometimes be necessary. It is also important that participants can easily contact each other by email, text or WhatsApp for regular check-ins. Participants are required to make regular progress reports and evaluations to LGPro to ensure positive progress is being made and to allow time for self-reflection.

Program Structure

The program runs over an eight-month period in the stages outlined below;

Stage 1:
Registration & program enrolment
for a Mentee 		 Registration is through the LGPro website. Once registered, a Mentee questionnaire will be sent to the individual that will assist in matching the Mentee to a Mentor. 
Stage 2:
Program launch orientation & training		 These virtual workshops provide Mentors and Mentees with the knowledge, understanding and skills to help them get the most out of the program.
Orientation and training includes self-paced practice sessions to show participants how to maximise the benefits and opportunities for learning, as well as how to determine what they want to achieve according to their needs and aspirations.
Mentees and Mentors will be introduced to tools, resources and guidelines to answer some of their practical questions and offer a best practice framework which can be tailored to their individual needs. Through this initial meeting, program organisers will gain additional insights to assist in the matching process.
Stage 3:
Mentor & Mentee matching		 The matching of a Mentor and Mentee is ultimately the responsibility of LGPro in consultation with the workshop facilitator. Enrolment information, Mentor profiles and Mentee preferences will assist with determining an appropriate match. Both the Mentor and Mentee will need to agree with LGPro’s recommendation before the match is finalised.
Stage 4:
Mentoring experience		 Once mentoring relationships are formed, both parties develop an agreed meeting schedule for the duration of the program. During this time, LGPro will make available a dedicated telephone support service for both Mentors and Mentees.
Stage 5:
Review workshop		  A review workshop will be at the mid point of the program. Participants will be able to discuss their early experiences and share ideas and insights which may benefit everyone involved in the program.
This workshop will take the form of reflection and group discussion around issues and questions participants may have. They will also be provided with additional theory and application, which will deepen their experience and enhance their mentoring experience.
Stage 6:
Final program debrief		 At the end of the program, Mentors and Mentees will attend a final debriefing workshop which will take the form of a group discussion. This will identify the benefits and learning achieved by individuals, teams and their respective Councils.
It will look at issues that emerged throughout the program and provide participants with additional theory and application, to help deepen their experience and enhance the mentoring experience. The final workshop will also provide an opportunity to suggest improvements to the program.

Benefits of Mentoring - what research says

Research shows mentoring can have a positive influence on Mentees, Mentors and organisations in areas of professional development, productivity, promotion and retention.

Professional Development
• In an independent survey of 59 of the 79 Local Government CEOs in Victoria, 88% identified professional mentoring programs as one of the best ways to develop the skills required to become a CEO in Local Government (Source: Metropolis
Research)
• In a further survey of 232 potential CEOs in Local Government in Victoria, 80% identified professional mentoring programs as one of the best ways to develop the skills required to become a CEO in Local Government (Source: Metropolis Research)
• More than 60% of students listed mentoring as a criterion for selecting an employer after graduation (Source: MMHA)

Productivity
• 71% of Fortune 500 companies use mentoring to ensure learning occurs in their organisations (Source: ASTD)
• 95% of mentoring participants said the experience motivated them to do their very best (Source: The War for Talent by Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones & Beth Axelrod)

Promotion
• 75% of senior officers attribute mentoring to playing a key role in their careers (Source: ASTD)
• CEOs attribute mentoring as one of the top three factors affecting career growth (Source: AccountTemps survey of Fortune 500 companies) Retention
• 77% of companies say mentoring programs increase staff retention (Source: The Center for Creative Leadership)
• 62% of employees who receive mentoring said they are very likely to stay with their current employer (Source: Yellowbrick)

Participant Testimonial 


At LGPro, we believe that coaching is essential to your professional development and with access to a range of specialists working in Local Government, LGPro’s Mentoring Program can connect you with the expertise that is right for you. 

A former mentee in the program, Anita Ransom from Cardinia Shire Council talks about her experience of the program.

"My mentor Leanne has been extremely generous with her time and knowledge and I feel like she has really helped me in a number of ways. I feel much more confident in myself, my role at work and in how I will progress my career in the future. She has also helped me grapple with the whole work/life balance. I will be going on maternity leave with a number of ideas about how I will approach work on my return and I feel very positive and motivated about my future. The program has been fantastic, and I really like the way it can be tailored to each mentor/mentee relationship. I would not hesitate to recommend this program to others."

Anita Ransom
Principal Planner – Policy and Projects
Cardinia Shire Council
 

Click here to learn more about becoming a mentee and to register

Click here to learn more about becoming a mentor and to register

 

2024 Program Dates:


Series 1
  • Program launch and orientation workshop: 18 March 2024
  • Mid-Program workshop: 15 August 2024
  • Program debrief and next steps: 21 November 2024
Series 2
  • Program launch and orientation workshop: 28 March 2024
  • Mid-Program workshop: 20 August 2024
  • Program debrief and next steps: 4 December 2024

 

More Information

For further information contact us at [email protected] or phone (03) 9268 6400

Please note your council must be a financial council subscriber to have access to this LGPro program. See Council Subscriber benefits