Management development programme

How it works

We train managers to be effective mentors and match them with an individual we see could be supported by them. We then support them to make a real and long-lasting difference to that person and consequently to the local community. This unique and innovative programme provides valuable training for managers in all areas of team management, which results in increased staff retention, higher productivity, enhanced leadership and mentoring skills and provides tangible corporate social responsibility outputs.

 

Our programme provides an unfamiliar context of work and the real possibility to make a difference in someone’s life, which increases drive and motivation. We provide expert coaching in communication which includes self-reflection about preconceived beliefs and values, non-verbal communication, active listening, influencing skills, conflict resolution and feedback skills. This leads to greatly enhanced management, supervisory and interpersonal skills. The programme also raises awareness of the abilities and potential of a marginalised population which is shown to improve the attitude of managers.  

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Managers learn the technical skills to become effective mentors. They will be able to use these new skills in the workplace to manage more effectively and improve performance. The aim of the programme is to encourage them to become change orientated and give them the rounded skills to enhance their ability to work flexibly. They will also be challenged to deal with a client group that will be unfamiliar to them. They will be encouraged to build rapport and empathy with their mentee in a different environment than the workplace and if successful, they will make a significant difference to that persons life. If an ex-offender sets up a successful business, they are less likely to re-offend and can contribute to society financially and socially, whilst the manager will discover how powerful it can be to help people who really need it.

 

​The extensive benefits to your company

• Increased staff retention

• Higher productivity of staff

• Enhanced leadership and mentoring skills

• Tangible corporate social responsibility outputs

• Become champions in an area that has received little support from the corporate world 

• Improved corporate image 

• Potential for positive publicity

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Empowering benefits to your managers

Due to the different nature of the mentees, extremely heightened communication, rapport building and influencing skills will be required to establish a relationship of mutual respect and trust. This can be picked up specifically within the mentor workshop and include some key material on language patterns, influencing skills and active listening which will also be invaluable back in the workplace. Personal work tailored to specific individuals can be tackled during the follow up one to one.

The mentees will typically have lower confidence and lower self-esteem which can transfer into not expecting too much when setting up and promoting their business ideas. This situation will definitely challenge the mentors in a way they would not normally come across in a corporate environment. They will have to work hard at raising the bar for the individuals they work with, which should have a psychologically beneficial impact on how they perceive and then deal with their team members back in the workplace.

Mentors will have to research, fact find and open themselves up to different situations and problem solving and look further afield to find innovative solutions. We have seen that this broadens their approach to corporate work and that they transfer some of their new approaches back in to the workplace.

 

Self-employment training for mentees including:

An introduction to self-employment

• Introductions

• Pros and cons of self-employment

• Legal status for your business

• How to plan for success

• Introduction to marketing and sales

• Start-up funding for your business

• Resources and tips

• Self-employment questions and answers

• Action plans and wrap up

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Business planning 

• Introductions

• Why you need a business plan

• How to structure a business plan

• What needs to be in a business plan

• Resources and tips

• Business planning questions and answers

• Action plans and wrap up 

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Sales and marketing

• Introductions

• Difference between sales and marketing

• Why is market research important

• How to do market research

• Unique selling point and elevator pitch

• Marketing tactics

• Introduction to digital marketing

• Resources and tips

• Marketing and sales questions and answers

• Action plans and wrap up

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Mentoring two day training 

• ​Why mentor?

• What is mentoring AND what it isn’t!

• Benefits of mentoring

• Roles and responsibilities of a mentor

• Getting started – context, vision and reality

• Building trust and rapport

• The mentor process – what to do and when

• How the relationship develops

• Questioning and listening techniques

• Giving feedback

• Ethics and when to refer issues

• Enterprise coaching​   

 

Facilitation  

• Inductions 

• Overview of current cohort and business ideas

• Nominated mentor manager per mentee

• Mentor pack

• Dedicated time upfront for mentor and mentee

• Access to mentor manager during process (phone, email etc)

• Support to include any tools and techniques tailored to the mentor (business coaching, conflict handling, challenging situations, giving and receiving feedback, listening skills, exquisite questioning)​

• Matching of mentors and mentees

• Target setting    

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​Evaluation

• Final evaluation review meeting with the mentor manager at the end of the three months and feedback from the mentee​

• Project implementation review after the three month period

ILM Certification

• There is also an option for an accredited qualification from the Institute of Learning and Management