Seniors As Mentors Programme

Rationale/Aims

Mature employees possess valuable skills, knowledge and experience. Moreover, studies such as the Future of Retirement Survey (2006) by the Oxford Institute of Ageing and the Baby Boomers Survey (2009) by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports have shown that many do wish to have the opportunity to teach and guide younger or less experienced staff. The aim of this course is to harness the strengths of mature employees by equipping them with the key interpersonal competencies so that they could impart their knowledge and skills to new and junior staff and serve as role-models to them.

Target Participants

  • Experienced and mature employees 45 years and above

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Better understand themselves, their beliefs and values, work and communication styles and the effects these have on the mentoring relationship
  • Better understand and appreciate the personalities, strengths, learning styles and socio-cultural background etc. of their mentees
  • Understand the purpose, process and principles of mentoring
  • Be equipped with key mentoring skills and be able to apply them
  • Be able to be deployed as mentor and serve as positive influence and effective role-models for new/junior staff

Course Outlines

Part A: Understanding bio-psycho-social aspects of ageing

  • Issues & concerns in late life
  • Age-associated changes: physiological and psychological
  • Health and health maintenance

Part B: Mentoring & Self-Awareness

  • Self-awareness & values clarification
  • Overcoming internal barriers
  • Understanding yourself through MBTI
  • Type and mentoring styles

Part C: Understanding Your Mentees

  • Understanding your mentee’s strengths (including experience, skills, interests, work values, styles, etc.), limitations and developmental needs
  • Influencing factors: cultural differences or multi-cultural issues/needs
  • Type and learning styles
  • Harmonising your mentoring style with your mentee’s learning style

Part D: Developing Key interpersonal Competencies: Counselling, Mentoring & Coaching

  • Definitions: difference between coaching, counselling and mentoring
  • Roles, boundaries and duties of a coach, counsellor & mentor
  • Principles of coaching, counselling & mentoring
  • Common traps & problems of coaching, counselling & mentoring
  • Coaching / counselling / mentoring skills
  • Mentoring & counselling process
  • Managing conflicts

Part E: Knowledge & Skills Application

  • Case presentations
  • Written assessment

Course Duration

Five days or shorter depending on organisation’s requirement.

*Criteria for award of Certificate (five day programme):

Demonstrate competencies in applying the knowledge acquired, as well as attending and micro-skills. Case presentations of mentoring sessions conducted with mature workers should show evidence of a good grasp of the material taught.