This exciting initiative involves the development of a public sector mentoring scheme between the FDA and Middlesex University (MU), a post-1992 Higher Education Institution (HEI).
Entrants on public sector graduate schemes will mentor MU undergraduate students, keen to pursue a career in the public sector and driven to develop their professional profile and employability relevant to the world of work.
MU Business School will facilitate training and development to recent Public Sector graduate scheme entrants (mentors) and MU undergraduate students (mentees), enhancing their awareness of the skills and behaviours required to develop successful mentor/mentee relationships. Mentors will gain invaluable skills practice and training as they develop their own senior careers.
To further develop mentees awareness of the processes involved and standards required to secure a graduate career in the public sector, the stakeholders will develop a generic public sector-style mock assessment centre. All mentees will have the opportunity to participate in the mock assessment centre over the course of the next twelve months.
Figure 1. Public Sector Mentoring Scheme Project Goals
The project will initially focus on a Pilot study working with MU Business School. The project commences in August 2011 and will complete in July 2012 with an evaluation phase between June and November 2012.
The pilot is funded by a development grant obtained by Julie Haddock-Millar, on behalf of MU Business School and a Union Learning Fund (ULF) investment via the FDA, obtained by Neil Rider.
The project is supported by an external consultant, Professor David Clutterbuck from Clutterbuck Associates (CA), co-founder of The European Mentoring and Coaching Council, listed as number two in the Sunday Independent's top 10 UK executive coaches.
The project will fund 120 participants, 60 recent public sector graduate entrants as mentors and 60 MU undergraduate students as mentees.
A Public Sector-style mock assessment centre will be developed by the FDA, MU Business School and an experienced consultant, Richard Hillsdon (RH), utilising input from Cabinet Office's Chief Psychologist.
MU Business School intend to publish the project in a variety of forums, including academic journal, professional journals, conferences and text books. Examples include: the Journal of Evidence Based Coaching, Coaching at Work and Personnel Today.
The project has the potential to expand rapidly both around developing mentoring partnerships and mock public sector-style assessment centres. Stakeholders are keen to explore how this might be achieved, following the initial pilot rollout phase.
There is a significant possibility that this project will be sustainable, pending the successful rollout of the first phase of the project and relationships being firmly established.
To find out more or to get involved please get in touch with Chris Park via chris.park@fda.org.uk or Sean Ruddy via sean@fda.org.uk
Project Goals
Short-term (0 - 6 months)
- Engage key stakeholders: FDA, Civil Service, NHS, Local Government and MU Business School
- To facilitate mentoring training and development for sixty graduate entrants on Public Sector schemes and sixty MU Business School undergraduate students
- To develop a mock Public Sector-style assessment centre
Medium-term
- To widen participation and diversity of Public Sector graduate-entry schemes
- To support transferable skills development to combat economic disadvantage and enhance participants employability
- To enhance working relationships and connections across the Public Sector (including Civil Service, NHS, Universities and Local Government)
- To support Higher Performing Workplaces
- To evaluate feasibility for accreditation for the International Standards for Mentoring Programmes in Employment (ISMPE)
Long-term
- To build a sustainable model which will enable the project to continue to grow and develop
- To build general brand of Public Sector employment
- To enhance the reputation of MU Business School as an innovative training provider and learning partner
- To enhance employment opportunities to post-1992 University students
- To tackle students skills gaps and barriers from economic disadvantage
- To enhance learning opportunities for young Public Sector employees
- To develop the role of the Union Learning Representatives (ULRs)
- To share the project development and success in a variety of forums, including academic journals, professional journals, academic books and conferences