Now more than ever trade unions need to support apprentices and young people and what better way than mentoring. Following on from the successful webinar on the power of mentoring apprentices where we discussed the ground-breaking mentoring programs at Springfield Fuels in the North West and the excellent research Dr Gail Hebson has done with hospitality and catering apprentices at the University of Manchester many people have asked for the links to the various documents and apps we discussed. We aim to set out those links below.

Damian Holohan at Springfield Fuels successfully negotiated with management a mentoring program. He was one of the first to successfully develop a program of support for apprentices. Damian and his team produced a guide to apprenticeship support and mentoring which included training. 

The program sets out in detail the commitment by the organisation and the trade union to mentoring apprentices. Included in the guide is advice on what makes a good mentor with questions like, is it for me?

Contained in the guide are tips on having meetings with your mentee, how to record information and ensure confidentiality, with lots of links to organisations that can support individuals with any issues they may have.

One key statement in the guide which trade union representatives should be aware of is: “A mentor should be someone from outside the apprentice’s reporting hierarchy at work. A union learning rep or workplace rep is often well placed to mentor apprentices. It is also essential that issues between mentor and mentee are confidential”.

In addition, Damian and his team have produced some skills cards for apprentices. Developed in conjunction with the apprentices themselves these cards help to highlight skills needs and can help in coordinating appropriate support.  

You can contact Mark directly if you need more information on the Springfield Fuels program or access to the cards (details at the end of this blog).

Dr Gail Hebson's main research interests lie in the study of gender relations and equality in the workplace. She has a wider interest in research that focuses on the changing experience of work for those in low skilled occupations and exploring this through in-depth qualitative work. 

Gail produced some research on the effects of apprenticeship programs on a present workforce who were asked to take up apprenticeships, in relation to the need to upskill and reskill the hospitality and catering arm at The University of Manchester.

The research looked at the many challenges facing those taking up apprenticeships including motivations and benefits.  It also looked at the challenges in terms of diversity.  Producing a useful check list for managers and staff to sit down and discuss the issue “Is an apprenticeship right for the organisation and the individual".

In addition, Gail developed a set of case studies and a free app designed to help workplace mentors support and keep in touch with catering and hospitality apprentices through their apprenticeship study. Access to the app and the case studies can be found here: www.wei.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/creating-good-jobs-in-the-catering-sector/

Unionlearn is no stranger to producing its own resources, in addition to these great resources from Damian and Gail it’s worth pointing out that you can access mentoring courses via Trade Union Education with the Mentoring Apprentices eNote and also through your local trade union education college or online course. Unionlearn also have the Apprenticeship Essentials app where you can check your pay terms and conditions and your training hours under 'Rate My Apprenticeship'. This app is free and open to anyone to download. The app will support trade union representatives in their discussions with apprentices on issues relating to them and your own place of work.

Further information can be found by contacting Mark Rowe, National Apprenticeship Project Officer direct at [email protected]