STEP UP

Federation of Scottish Theatre

Mentor Training Programme

2018-2019Application Form

CONFIDENTIAL

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • First read page 2-3
  • Then complete pages 4-6
  • Return your completed form to y noon, Friday8 June

Please note: The contents of this form are kept confidentially and will be read by Paul Pinson, Abigail Carney (Step Up) and Jude Henderson and Fiona McCurdy(FST).Paul Pinson will select mentors for the programme using the criteria described below. Any unsuccessful applications will be destroyed once the application process is complete, successful applications will be kept on record for the duration of the programme and then destroyed.

Application process

Thank you for applying to participate in Step Up.There is an additional information sheet which accompanies this application form, available from FST. Please read it before you complete the application form.

Introduction
Mentoring is a relationship of mutual respect between a more experienced manager/leader (the mentor) and a less experienced individual (the mentee). It is a two-way relationship, where the mentee’s role is to drive the process. The role of the mentor is to respond as an active witness to their mentee’s development. Whilst the agenda is in the hands of the mentee, a mentor may have to support them by providing structure for their agenda and the implementation of any subsequent actions.

As a mentor you will receive training and supervision but it is important to be clear at the outset what the core of the training and supervision involves and thus what sort of qualities we are looking for in the mentors.

Selection criteria

The selection process is based on careful reading of applications and informed by many years of experience working in this field. Final decisions are made using expert judgement. To aid you in thinking about whether mentoring is right for you, this is a non-exhaustive list of the skills, experience and qualities Paul Pinson and Abigail Carney will be looking for in applications:

  • A track record in the sector
  • An active desire to be included on the programme
  • A desire to develop listening skills
  • Strong skills in strategic planning and communication
  • Effective leadership skills
  • Mentor/mentee experience is desirable

Factors that work against selection include indications of anyone:

  • Who likes the sound of their own voice
  • With a narrow field of interest
  • Who is likely to want to interfere in the mentee’s organisation
  • Who wants to tell the mentee what they should do
  • Who has an existing interest in the mentee’s organisation

Training content

The training is aimed at supporting the development of the following core mentor abilities:

  • Active listening – the ability to closely listen, observe and understand your mentee
  • Non-judgmental – the belief that the mentee has good intentions and immense potential
  • Flexibility of response appropriate to the mentee’sneeds
  • The ability to give feedback appropriately
  • The ability to be work in a non-directive way
  • The ability to talk less than the mentee

Time commitment

The training will be held on the following dates:

  • Training Day 1 Thursday 11 October, 10.30am-5.30pm
  • Training Day 2 Thursday 1 November, 10.30am-5.30pm
  • Training Day 3 Thursday 16 November, 10.30am-5.30pm

Supervision (i.e. supported learning) of practice is an integral part of both learning and practising as a mentor. It has a number of functions, chief among them

  • Mentoring the mentor on their mentoring
  • Providing an external perspective to ensure quality of practice

The programme offers both one-to-one supervision and two half-day workshops, these will be held on

Wednesday 20 March 2019 andWednesday 5 June 2019. As the training is designed for nine people, often working in groups of three, mentors will be expected to commit definitively to attending on these dates and to receiving one-to-one supervision by telephone and/or face to face from January to October 2019,prior to applying to the programme.

Mentors have to commit to the process and to their mentee – if you agree to meet them six to eight times in ten months then you cannot break that commitment otherwise the trust levels in the relationship will lessen and the process will be undermined.

In essence Step Up is for professionals who are able to support and challenge their mentees sensitively and uphold trust.

REMEMBER: The mentor is there to serve the mentee – the relationship works on the principle that your mentees are inherently talented, resourceful and creative and that they are able to resolve issues when they understand them and know how to change them. As a mentor you are there to enable them to ‘think aloud’ and talk through strategies to reach new understandings and insights into their situation.

APPLICATION FORM

Please submit as a word document– NOT A PDF

Your name:
Current position:
Name of your organisation:
Address:
Postcode:
Email:
Telephone number:
Are you able to attend all of the training and supervision dates as listed above?
(Please state yes or no):
Please confirm that you are currently an FST Member, and what type of membership you have (please note that there is a £200 fee to access the programme for Associate members):
Career Summary
Date: / Job Title: / Organisation:
What are your reasons for wanting to be a mentor?
Have you ever been a mentee, albeit informally?
What do you think you learnt from this experience?
Have you been a mentor before, either formally or informally?
What do you think you learnt from this experience?
What would be your top 3 goals for being involved in Step Up?
1.
2.
3.
What do you think is the most important quality for a successful mentor?
And, finally, do you think your organisation will gain anything from you engaging in this programme? If yes, what could this be?

Many thanks. Please go back to page 1 for application process details.

1