At the Australian Mentor Centre we are extremely proud and honoured to work with clients who are as passionate about mentoring as we are.  Here's a short feature on three of our clients and their mentoring programs - all of which have been running for over three consecutive years and are now 'embedded' as part of the workplace culture.

We sincerely thank and appreciate the continued opportunity all of our clients provide to us to support their mentoring endeavours.

ETSA Utilities

We have been working with ETSA Utilities since 2006.  ETSA Utilities are focussed on building strong a mentoring culture as part of their workforce development culture.  Our main role with ETSA Utilities has been to support their Graduate Mentoring Program, which is now in its fourth consecutive year and growing stronger by the minute.  ETSA Utilities now also have a Mentoring Groups & Circles program running for senior staff as well. 

Recently, the mentoring activities at ETSA Utilities were featured as a double page 'spread' in their Watts Up Magazine. Click here to read about the success of mentoring at ETSA Utilities.  This feature article is testament to the value placed on mentoring by ETSA Utilities, along with the focus on innovation on how to engage and support program participants.

Congratulations to Helen Thompson and the many willing mentors and mentees at ETSA Utilities for continuing to value the importance of building a mentoring culture.

In 2010 - ETSA Utilities Mentoring Program was awarded a Gold Standard with the International Standards for Mentoring Programmes in Employment (ISMPE).

St John of God Health Care

St John of God Health Care (SJGHC) is committed to the ongoing formation and development of its current and aspiring leaders. One initiative within the Leadership Development Program is mentoring and SJGHC recently launched its fourth mentoring program with 36 partnerships across Western Australia, Victoria and NSW. Our role is to provide mentoring education and mentoring newsletter support.

Mentoring education workshops help menteesand mentors to commence their mentoring partnership in a guided, positive and constructive manner.

The Mentoring Groove - our monthly mentoring newsletter  - a PDF monthly newsletter with further mentoring education points and space for St John of God Health Care  to write their own updates.  The Groove (as it's affectionately known) is a key ongoing mentoring education and support tool for this successul mentoring initiative.

Here's some of the feedback we received from St John of God Health Care participants on the 2009 mentoring education workshops about what they enjoyed most on the workshop day:

• Working with my mentee and agreeing on our partnership
• The one on one time with the mentee and the mentor only session gave me confidence
• The opportunity to interact with my mentor was a very positive experience as well as the materials provided assisted to facilitate a constuctive session
• The style of the day - being involved and not getting lots of 'lectures'.

Our congratulations to Deborah Pearson and the Mentoring Reference Group for the continued strong support and the results that the Mentoring Program achieves.

General Mills

General Mills have a strong reputation for a workplace culture that 'nourishes lives' and this is demonstrated by their commitment to mentoring. 

The General Mills Mentoring Program is an open mentoring program focusing on career and professional development for its participants.  Now into its fourth consecutive year, mentoring is certainly contributing to the workplace culture at General Mills.

The Australian Mentor Centre provides the mentoring education activities for the program which includes:

• Introduction to Mentoring Online Tutorial - this helps new mentors and mentees to understand the basic theory elements of formal mentoring
• Mentee Workshop - focussing on helping mentees to understand their role and prepare for working with a mentor
• Mentor Workshop - focussing on helping mentors to understand their role and to reflect on the differences of being a mentor to other 'hats' they wear in the workplace
• Partnership Workshop - an opportunity for mentoring partnerships to 'begin the journey' in a positive and constructive manner.

General Mills also supplements the kick-off mentoring education activities with a 'social night out' and in 2009 this meant a trip to the 10-pin bowling alley! Plus - past mentee and mentor participants were invited back to share their 'words of wisdom' with the 2009 participants.

Recently, the General Mills Mentoring Program was featured in an article in The Age - 'Mentors Matter'.  You can read the feature article here.

Our congratulations to Heath Martin and program particiapnts for the continued strong support and the results that the Mentoring Program achieves.

Our sincere thanks to ETSA Utilities, St John of God Health Care and General Mills for allowing us to provide some insight into their very successful mentoring programs.  If you would like to know how the Australian Mentor Centre can assist your organisational mentoring program - please do contact us.