SCEBE research into the training that workplace mentors receive from their mentees’ universities has concluded that more training is needed, especially to support inclusive mentoring.

The team worked with SCEBE students to start to create training materials which would be useful to time-poor workplace mentors, creating an animation – Intro to Inclusion, by Ryann Scott – and an infographic –Key Elements of Inclusion, by Alyanna Posadas.

The Mentor Training Study

Investigating and improving induction training for CS work-based learning workplace mentors, especially to ensure inclusion.

This collaborative research project between Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment and University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science, was sponsored by The Council of Professors and Heads of Computing (CPHC).

The research team, led by Dr Ella Taylor-Smith, surveyed workplace mentors of degree apprentices and other work-based learning students about any training they received from the universities, especially to promote inclusion. To triangulate the data, university staff were also surveyed and a selection of training materials were reviewed. Activity theory was used to model the training system, highlighting opportunities and constraints.

The study also provided materials for introductory training, hosted on the blog Workplace Mentor Training for Inclusion: Training resources for work-based learning mentors. The aim is to add further inclusion resources for mentors.

A one page summary of the project report is available online.