Enterprise mentoring grows

Did you know? Enterprise employees have been extending their mentoring and development activity beyond the company through working with charities such as the Bridge Builders mentoring programme. Enterprise has sponsored this programme and supported its founder Clive Lewis OBE since 2014. The activity has grown year on year, and since September we now have 32 Enterprise volunteer mentors.

Bridge Builders is a registered charity that aims to close the gap between the current level of achievement and the potential of children from poor socio-economic backgrounds.

The programme provides additional support and guidance from mentors from successful professional backgrounds who can pass on their skills to children. The mentoring scheme runs throughout the school year at eleven schools in the Spelthorne Borough and there are a total of ninety-six mentees taking part this year.

The programme is invaluable, as the majority of the children nominated to take part do not have a role model who encourages them to push themselves. Enterprise mentors help the children to look to the future and provide them with a dream and career aspiration to work towards.

This is achieved by engaging and encouraging mentees to make the most of their education and by providing them with a detailed understanding of the possible career paths available to them, and the skills that are required to be successful in a future career. Having a mentor will also help the children at school. Studies have found that a full year of mentoring improves overall academic performance, behaviour and self confidence.

There are numerous benefits to an Enterprise employee of becoming a mentor. Mentoring is a chance to give back to the communities we serve, which ties in with our founding value ‘we strengthen our communities, one neighbourhood at a time’.

Being a mentor has helped me become more agile when dealing with people and has made me a better person as a colleague, a manager, and as a parent.

Mentoring programmes like Bridge Builders also allow the mentor to make a difference in the development of another person and brings enormous personal satisfaction as a result. Mentors have reported they have improved their active listening skills and that mentoring has helped them at work and in their personal lives.

Bridge Builders mentor Sarah Parkin says, “Being a mentor has helped me become more agile when dealing with people and has made me a better person as a colleague, a manager, and as a parent.”

You do not have to have any qualifications to be a mentor. Anyone can be a mentor if they have something to pass on and the skills, time and commitment to do it.

Every employee is encouraged to volunteer to be a mentor. As Clive Lewis says; “You do not have to have any qualifications to be a mentor. Anyone can be a mentor if they have something to pass on and the skills, time and commitment to do it.”