Learning and skills mentor

Key information

Reference: ST1379
Date updated: 02/08/2024
Level: 4
Route: Education and early years
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the public, private and voluntary sectors in national and multinational organisations. The role of the learning and skills mentor can be found in all sectors where training and development is required. For example, but not limited to, healthcare, military, manufacturing, production, business and professional, education, leisure, construction, creative, technology.

The purpose of the learning and skills mentor occupation is to support individuals and groups with their learning and development towards agreed goals. They will do this by working within ethical and legal frameworks to ensure a high standard of mentoring practice. They will work collaboratively with stakeholders to inclusively meet the individual needs of the mentee. They will be committed to their own professional development and reflective practice as a mentor and within their sector.

They will typically work in an environment in their organisation where they are the knowledgeable other. They will work in a variety of locations and environments where mentoring activity may be undertaken face to face or remotely.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation may interact with other professionals at any level of seniority in the organisation and the sector, such as: supervisors, managers, trainees, other experienced practitioners and where necessary, internal/external professionals to support meeting the individual mentee needs.

The learning and skills mentor will be responsible for the mentor relationship with the mentee working within ethical and legal frameworks and organisational boundaries to support the progression of the mentee. They may work with a wide range of stakeholders to support the progression of the mentee and ensure best practice is developed and maintained. The mentor may be responsible for completing their own work to specification, with minimal supervision, ensuring they meet set deadlines.

Typical job titles include:

Academic mentor Learning mentor Occupational mentor Technical mentor Training mentor Tutor Vocational mentor

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Plan, conduct and record mentoring activities to support the progression of the mentee working within legal and ethical frameworks, including confidentiality and safeguarding.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K16 S2 S3 S4 S5 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 2 Use strategies to establish and maintain expectations and boundaries of mentoring contract, including recognising starting points of mentee, agreed development needs, potential barriers to development and where relevant, other stakeholders needs.	K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K7 K16 S2 S4 S5 S6 S7 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 3 Select and use mentoring models, tools and techniques to support mentee to make desired changes, demonstrating responsiveness to the individual mentee needs.	K1 K3 K7 K8 K9 K16 S1 S3 S4 S7 S9 S10 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 4 Demonstrate awareness of own values, beliefs and behaviours and their effect on the mentor/mentee relationship.	K1 K8 K10 S8 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 5 Provide support to the mentee providing information, advice and guidance, working within own professional boundaries and recognising requirements for referral to other professional services where required.	K1 K9 K11 S11 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 6 Establish rigorous evaluation processes with mentee to support reflection on effectiveness of mentoring relationship.	K1 K3 K9 K12 K16 S9 S10 S12 B1 B2 B3 B4
Duty 7 Evaluate and reflect on effectiveness of own practice for the purpose of self-development.	K1 K3 K12 K15 S13 B1 B2 B3 B5
Duty 8 Make sustainably informed decisions in approaches used to plan, conduct, record and evaluate mentoring practice.	K1 K13 S1 B1 B2 B3 B5
Duty 9 Maintain records of mentoring practice and recording of continual professional development activities.	K1 K5 K14 S1 S5 S14 B1 B2 B3 B5

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: The roles and responsibilities of a mentor, understanding the organisational and professional boundaries, legal and ethical requirements, including safeguarding Back to Duty

K2: How to establish and manage a mentoring contract Back to Duty

K3: How to plan for mentoring sessions and review and revise action plans Back to Duty

K4: Mentoring theory and models, including maintaining good practice and protocols within the mentoring relationship Back to Duty

K5: Organisational and legal requirements for recording, storing and sharing personal information Back to Duty

K6: Strategies to assess starting points of the mentee, including potential barriers to development Back to Duty

K7: Methods of communication to maintain the mentoring relationship and review progress towards agreed outcomes Back to Duty

K8: Questioning and listening techniques Back to Duty

K9: Methods for providing feedback to inform progression Back to Duty

K10: The impact of their own values, beliefs and behaviours on mentoring practice Back to Duty

K11: How to provide accurate and relevant vocational/pastoral advice and guidance to meet mentee needs, including points of referral to other professional services Back to Duty

K12: Theories and models of evaluation and reflection Back to Duty

K13: Approaches to sustainable mentoring practice Back to Duty

K14: Opportunities for continuing professional development Back to Duty

K15: The role of supervision in supporting the mentor Back to Duty

K16: Evidence-based practice informed by own research Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Conduct sustainable mentoring practice within organisational and professional boundaries, and legal and ethical requirements, including safeguarding Back to Duty

S2: Establish and maintain mentoring contracts with mentees and where relevant, other stakeholders Back to Duty

S3: Conduct mentoring sessions according to agreed plans Back to Duty

S4: Implement established mentoring tools and techniques to help the mentee work towards agreed outcomes Back to Duty

S5: Maintain records of mentoring practice, complying with quality, confidentiality and data protection requirements Back to Duty

S6: Establish and use assessed starting points to establish agreed outcomes of the mentoring process Back to Duty

S7: Assess and review progress and achievement of agreed outcomes and revise action plans as appropriate Back to Duty

S8: Maintain mentoring relationship through a non-judgemental and objective approach Back to Duty

S9: Use questioning techniques to encourage reflection and progression Back to Duty

S10: Provide feedback to the mentee to inform progression Back to Duty

S11: Inform, advise and guide the mentee to support development toward agreed outcomes Back to Duty

S12: Apply theories and models of evaluation and reflection to support mentee development Back to Duty

S13: Monitor and reflect on own mentoring practice, including feedback from supervision, to develop self Back to Duty

S14: Apply evidence based mentoring practice informed by own research Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Demonstrate and promote sustainable practices with mentee Back to Duty

B2: Work to ethical and legal standards within professional boundaries Back to Duty

B3: Be resilient and adaptable when dealing with challenge and change, maintaining focus and self-control Back to Duty

B4: Demonstrate and encourage mutual respect, displaying a deep understanding of equality and diversity, with and between learners, colleagues and appropriate agencies Back to Duty

B5: Committed to improving their own professional practice in relation to mentoring Back to Duty

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

Share this page

LinkedIn X Facebook Email

Crown copyright © 2024. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence