Guidelines for Mentoring

INSTITUTE OF MARINE ENGINEERS (INDIA)

GUIDELINES FOR MENTORING

What is MENTORING?

Mentoring…… is a process whereby someone with more experience or expertise provides support, counseling and advice to a less experienced or less expert colleague

Mentor…… is the senior in the profession who acts as a role model and helps the trainee to pick up the nuances of the profession

Mentee……is a new entrant to the profession undergoing mentoring process

1.0 FOREWORD

1.1 The Institute of Marine Engineer (India) considers it vital that experienced members of the Marine Engineering Profession are involved in training studentswho are aspiring to enter the profession of marine engineering. Mentoring a trainee seeking to become a Marine Engineer can be a rewarding experience. Through the process of mentoring a trainee the Mentorwill learn and develop new skills and techniques, and the trainee shall benefit immensely.

1.2 These Guidelines will tell the Mentor about:

•The role and responsibilities of a mentor

• The requirements for registering

•How to become a mentor.

1.3 An application form to register as a mentor is provided at the back of thisbooklet.

CONTENTS

ParaItemPage

What is Mentoring2

1.0Foreword3

2.0Overview5

3.0Responsibilities of the Mentor & Mentee6

4.1Benefits of the Mentoring Process 7

5.0Objectives of the Mentoring Process8

6.0Mentor’s responsibilities9

7.0Criteria for becoming a Registered Mentor 11

8.0Choice of Mentor12

9.0Mentor- Mentee relationship13

10.0Types of Contact14

11.0Some Do’s and Don’t for the Mentor15

12.0Potential Pitfalls16

13.0 Structuring a Mentoring Relationship17

14.0 The Final Report18

15.0Disputes19

16.0 Frequently Asked Questions19

17.0 Guidelines for Mentees23

Application form for Registered Mentor Status25

Mentor’s Final Report Form27

2.0 OVERVIEW

2.1The Institute of Marine Engineers (India), (IMEI) seeks to serve society at large by continuously improving the professional standards of its members. To become a marine engineer and to be admitted into IMEI as a Corporate Member, aStudent Member must successfully complete the IMEI’s requirements for academic study, practical experience and professional competence. The professional competence examinations(Ministry of Shipping, GOI) provide a vital link between the academic and practical experience requirements.

2.2 Mentors can play a significant part in training and developing candidates undergoing training in various Institutions. A mentor’s role is to add value to the trainee during the training period by sharing his/her knowledge, wisdom and experience with the trainee, and reporting on the trainee’s attainment of practical experience in accordance with the IMEI’s requirements, as listed out in Training and Assessment Record (TAR) Book published by the IMEI for different training streams. Mentoring is designed to help trainees gain high quality, relevant practical experience, and deeper understanding of the profession.

2.3Trainees are required to complete the period of specified practical experience with the guidance of a mentor. General practical experience may be gained with or without a mentor. All mentors must be registered with the IMEI.

3.0 Responsibilities of the Mentor and the Mentee

The table below sets out the responsibilities of the trainee and the mentor during the training period.

The trainee is responsible for: / The mentor is responsible for:
  • finding a mentor
/
  • acting as a guide, coach and role model for the trainee

  • keeping a record of the experience s/he gains
/
  • interactingperiodically with the trainee to review experience gained and set objectives for the next period

  • ensuring the records of experience are submitted to the mentor regularly
/
  • verifying the record of practical experience submitted by the trainee

  • completing the period of practical experience
/
  • helping the trainee prepare for the professional competence programme and verifying experience gained for enrolment purposes

  • advising the Institute of any changes in his/her situation (e.g. change of mentor, change of employer)
/
  • completing the mentor’s final report to accompany the trainee’s application for admission to the Institute as a trained Marine Engineer

  • enrolling in the professional competence programme when appropriate
/
  • helping to transfer information to a new mentor if required

  • preparing for the professional competence programme and passing the professional competence examinations

4.0 What is Mentoring?

The most frequently quoted definitions of a mentor revolve around ‘a trusted colleague’,‘a person to look up to’ or ‘a critical friend’. At IMEI we define mentoring as an informal and supportive relationship whereby a more experienced member of the IMEI undertakes to help a Student Member learn the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for the Student to be admitted to the profession of Marine Engineering and to get the best out the training programme which the Student has elected to undergo.

4.1 What are the Benefits of the Mentoring Process?

4.1.1 forMentee:

  • Improves self-confidence
  • Offers professional development
  • Provides advice and information
  • Encourages reflection on practice
  • Provides personal support

4.1.2 For Mentors:

  • Refreshes own view of the profession
  • Encourages self-reflection
  • Develops professional relationships
  • Enhances peer recognition

4.1.3 For the Institute:

  • Enables meet its Objective of professional development of its current and future members
  • Enhances members’performance
  • Encourages commitment to the Institute

5.0 The Objectives of Mentoring

5.1The Objective of the Mentoring process is to provide the Mentee to associate with an experienced professional from his chosen profession who will guide him in his learning process so as to make the best of use facilities and resources available to the Mentee in the training institution.

5.2The IMEI has introduced a mentoring function to enhance the practical experience component of Training. Mentoring is designed to help trainees gain high quality, relevant practical experience. The IMEI considers it vital that experienced members of the profession are involved in training, or monitoring the training of, prospective members. Mentors are best placed to verify that a trainee has gained practical experience suitable for the profession. .

6.0 The Mentor’s Responsibilities

As a mentor, your role is to add value to the trainee during the period of practical experience by sharing and imparting your knowledge, wisdom and experience, andreporting on the trainee’s attainment of practical experience in accordance with the Institute’s requirements.

•6.1Register as a mentor with the Institute of Marine Engineers (India):You should apply to be a registered mentor with the IMEI as soon as you have agreed to be a mentor for a trainee or trainees. You should act as mentor to no more than ten trainees at any one time.

• 6.2Act as a guide, coach and role model for the trainee: You will be responsible for acting as a role model for the trainee, exhibiting a high level of professionalism at all times. You will also be expected to guide and coach the trainee through any difficult or challenging situations s/he may face.

• 6.3Interact periodically with the trainee to review experience gained and set objectives for the next period:The admissions policy requires that all trainees undertake a period of practical experience that is planned, monitored and reviewed regularly. One of your primary roles as a mentor is to review and verify the experience the trainee gains, in line with the IMEI requirements. You should interact with the trainee at leastonce every six months (but preferably about every three months) to review the experience gained. At these interactions you should set objectives for the next period to ensure that the trainee’s experience is in line with the Institute’s practical experience requirements for admission.
• 6.4Verify the record of practical experience:You will be responsible for verifying an accurate record of the practical experience gained by the trainee against the IMEI practical experience requirements as well as those outlined bythe TAR book.

• 6.5Complete the mentor’s final report to accompany the trainee’s application for admission:When you are satisfied that the trainee has completed the practical experience requirements, you should complete the Mentor’s Final Report.The Mentor’s Final Report is your certification that the trainee’s practical experience fulfils the Institute’s requirements.

• 6.6Help transfer information to a new mentor:If your relationship as a mentor has to be terminated before the trainee has completed the practical experience requirements, you will be responsible for ensuring that the documentation held by the trainee is a complete and accurate record of his/her experience up to that date. You will need to complete an interim report, describing your mentoring relationship and including any other comments that are appropriate. The trainee will then hand the interim report to the new mentor who will attach it to the Mentor’s Final Report.

If you are the trainee’s second or third mentor, you should ensure that you receive sufficient documentation about the trainee’s previous experience, including an interim report completed by the trainee’s previous mentor(s). When completing the Mentor’s Final Report, you should ensure the interim report(s) is attached.

7.0 Criteria for Becoming a Registered Mentor

A mentor is an experienced member of the profession who possesses the required knowledge, skills and professionalism to undertake a mentoring role. All mentors must be registered with the Institute. In addition to corporate membership of the Institute of Marine Engineers (India), the following is a list of criteria the Institute expects mentors to satisfy:

• Knowledge of the IMEI membership requirements, DGS and IMOs requirements for sea going marine engineers at various levels

•Current knowledge of the technical aspects of the practical experience required for admission to the Institute

• Current knowledge of issues facing the profession

• Ability to counsel, advice, motivates and provides direction to the trainee

• Interest in training future members of the IMEI

• Availability for regular consultation with the trainee

• Recognition as a role model

8.0 Choice of Mentor

It might be helpful to consider the following questions about the proposed mentor:

  • Does he have the time and inclination to be able to support the idea of mentoring?
  • Does he have the right approach to his own development to appreciate the importance of developing theentrant to the profession?
  • Does he have some empathy with the problems faced by new entrants to the profession?
  • Do they have a balanced view of the importance of each facet of learning process?
  • Are there any gender or cultural issues that should be taken into account?

In general terms, a mentor should be able to:

  • Listen actively to another’s views
  • Ask open questions
  • Make suggestions but avoid being prescriptive
  • Summarise the main points of a discussion
  • Give constructive, positive and precise feedback

Someone who has been mentored themselves in the recent past will often make a very good mentor. The most careful planning of mentoring pairs cannot take into account clashes of personality. If either the new trainee or mentor feels that the relationship is not productive, they should discuss the matter with the Head of the training institution.

9.0 The Mentor – Mentee Relationship:

A relationship must develop for effective mentoring to take place.

  • Spend time getting to know your Mentee
  • Let your Mentee know that teachers also make mistakes
  • Constructively criticize
  • Know the experience level of the Mentee
  • Above all, maintain a sense of humour

9.1 The Community

Mentors need to make their Mentee aware of:

  • The close relationship between home, community and institution
  • The skills required to effectively liaise with parents, explaining the importance of diplomacy and discernment in a parent/ mentor relationship;
  • The skills required in organizing and participating in parent / mentor interviews;
  • Field work policy, and why following protocol and departmental regulations are so important;
  • The community involvement in the institution
  • The diplomacy required when working with members of the community.

9.2 Skills

The following skills have been identified by experienced mentors as particularly relevant to and valued by beginners:

a) Communication skills

b) Reflection Skills

c) Planning skills

d) Liaison skills

e) Collaboration skills

f) Analyzing and evaluation skills

g) Counselingand encouraging skills

h) Professional skills

10.0 Types of Contact for Mentors

10.1 Face-to-Face

  • Initiate a face to face meeting especially for important issues
  • Have a meal together
  • Meet in the mentor's office or in the IMarE officeif the subject matter is confidential

10.2 Email

  • Mentor and Mentee can email each other.
  • It is a good way for . . .
  • Mentor to alert Mentee to programs and new information
  • Mentee to ask quick questions, seek direction
  • Reminders
  • Mentor can invite Mentee to attend various programs

10.3 Phone

  • An occasional check on the part of the mentors to be personnel
  • An excellent way for Mentee needing to set up a strategy meeting. Important when confidentiality and tone of voice are critical and email won't do.

10.4 Creative Contact

  • Invite your Mentee to the Mentoring get-togethers, Institute meetings, etc..
  • Invite your mentor to attend workshops and programs with you
  • Remind each other of monthly programming events
  • Mentors: Email programs you are attending to Mentee and invite them to attend if appropriate

11.0 Some Do’s and Don’ts for Mentors:

  • You are not expected to evaluate your Mentee’s work. While your professional areas may overlap enough that you feel competent to evaluate his/her work, this is NOT expected of you. Your role is rather one of helping your Mentee to find resources to evaluate his/her work and give her feedback.
  • Take the initiative in the relationship. Invite your Mentee to meet you, suggest topics to discuss, ask if you can offer advice.
  • Respect your Mentee's time as much as you respect your own.
  • Always ask if you can make a suggestion or offer advice.
  • Be explicit with your Mentee that you are only offering suggestions and that he should weigh your advice along with that received from his/her trainers
  • Make only positive or neutral comments about your Mentee to others. Your Mentee must trust that anything he/she says to you will be held in the strictest confidence.
  • If you don't believe that either you or your Mentee are able to keep to the terms of your mentoring agreement, don't be afraid to end the relationship. It may be helpful for you to annually review your mentoring relationship agreement.
  • Keep the door open for your Mentee to return in the future. If at all possible, try not to end the relationship on bad terms.
  • It is important not to confuse positive communication with a need for unwarranted praise or flattery.
  • When criticism is offered, it should be followed by constructive advice for improvement.Based on these protocols your Mentee should reasonably expect that you be in regular contact, provide career planning advice, keep confidences between the two of you, follow through on commitments, and be caring while giving honest feedback.

12.0 Potential Pitfalls:

12.1 Limited Time: - Studies have found that finding the time and energy for mentoring pairs to get together is a great obstacle. Take advantage of email, fax, telephone, etc., as ways of staying in touch. Relatively short but frequent contacts between the participants through avenues such as email can sometimes result in shorter, regularly scheduled, in-person meetings.

12.2 Lack of Skills:- After a senior colleague has accepted a role as a mentor, he or she may discover that there is not really the common ground between the two that was expected, or the Mentee wants assistance in an area in which the mentor does not feel particularly competent to advice. In this situation, the mentor can either contact someone else or assist his/her Mentee in locating others whose expertise may be more helpful for a specific need.

12.3 Over-dependence: - Over-dependence can go in either direction in a mentoring relationship. However, a Mentee may become over-dependent on his/her mentor. It is important that both Mentee and Mentors always consider whether a mentoring match may have served its useful purpose. It is better to Part Company on amicable terms than to struggle with a relationship without a firm foundation.

13.0 Structuring a Mentoring Relationship

The following guidance may prove useful in making the mentoring relationship successful.

13.1 At the start of the relationship

Mentor and Mentee should:

1. Ensurethe Mentor is registered as a mentor with the IMEI.

2. Mentor should read and become familiar with the contents of the TAR Book DGS guidelines, META manual including the practical experience requirements for the trainee.

3. Establish the areas of training in which the trainee will gain his/her practical experience. (It may also be appropriate for the employer, if the Mentee already has one, to be involved at this stage if the Mentor is not sure of the range of work available to the trainee within the training institution.)

4. Agree:

(a) When and how often they will meet to review progress

(b)WhatMentor and Mentee should bring to meetings

(c)The style of mentoring that will suit both

(d)On their mutual expectations

13.2 During the relationship

During the mentoring relationship:

  • Mentorand Mentee shouldinteract on a regular basis (once at least every six months, but preferably about every three months) and document the practical experience (the elements of competence as outlined in the TAR Book) that has been achieved for the purposes of admission.
  • Mentorshould ensure that all TAR Books, DGS Guidelines, META Manuals documentation is signed and dated by both parties to avoid any misunderstanding.
  • Mentor and Mentee should agree and document a plan of the elements of competence to be achieved in the next period. This ensures that both clearly understand the expectations for the period and have a plan of how all the elements of competence will be achieved.
  • Mentee must retain a comprehensive and continual record of all practical experience gained. The data provided in the TAR Books are an example of the type of information that should be retained during the period of practical experience. If the training institution has a comprehensive internal competence-based performance assessment system, you and the Mentee may prefer to use that system and equivalent forms to record progress, provided the information recorded is similar to that captured in the Log Book.
  • If a dispute arises, it is important that the parties discuss the issue and understand each other’s position and attempt to reach a resolution.

14.0 The Final Report