MENTORING AT KEELE
3.0 Benefits to the University
of mentoring
Mentoring is a powerful means of helping
individuals explore personal potential and
aspirations and to reflect on and work with the
expectations and conflicting dynamics of their
role within the university.
Mentoring can increase personal motivation and
commitment. Individuals benefit from personal
support and development related to their current
activity or in preparing for future opportunities.
Mentoring is dependent on mentors contributing
their knowledge, expertise and experience for
the benefit of others. Mentoring can also be a
source of learning for mentors while offering
organisational value through building capability
and developing contextual knowledge and
understanding.
Mentoring can offer best value to individuals
and to the university when some simple
best practice principles are followed.
These principles are fundamental to creating
a supportive and effective mentoring culture
at Keele.
4
• In mentoring all discussions between the
mentor and mentee should be strictly
confidential. The only exception to this
is if the mentee agrees that particular
information can be relayed to a third party,
for example the line manager.
• Mentors and mentees can expect to be asked
to feedback on their experiences during and/
or at the end of their contracted period so that
the scheme sponsor and co-ordinator can
continue to make positive improvements to
the scheme.
• Mentoring schemes vary in terms of purpose
and participation, and therefore access
to mentoring is defined for each scheme.
Some University wide schemes, for example
Mentoring Leaders, would be accessed
through personal development planning.
For other schemes the mentors and
mentees will be clearly defined, for example
participants in a qualification or development
programme or new staff who are assigned
a mentor to provide support during the
probation period.