Information for Mentors

Mentoring is one of the most rewarding professional activities you can be involved in. Mentors invariably get as much or more out of the experience than those they are mentoring.

For Mentors, the ITP Mentoring Programme can:

Bring you satisfaction from contributing to the Mentee's development
Further develop your own mentoring and leadership skills
Bring opportunities to reflect upon and articulate your role
Can contribute to your annual CPD requirement

ITP mentoring is the perfect opportunity to give back to the professional community whilst simultaneously helping progress your own professional career.

What is a Mentor?

A Mentor is an experienced IT professional who undertakes an active interest in the career development of what is often (but not always) a younger or perhaps less experienced individual in the same profession.

It's important to differentiate Mentoring from Coaching - Mentors should not attempt to advise Mentees directly, but should assist their Mentees to come to their own conclusions as to how best achieve their goals.

Responsibilities of an ITP Mentor

The following are the responsibilities of a Mentor under the ITP programme:

With your Mentee, decide on the goals of the individual relationship
Meet with your Mentee once a month, or as agreed. There is a commitment to meet at least 10 times during the 12 month programme
With your Mentor decide how contact will occur. For example, face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, email or video calls
Keep the agreed contact commitment
Respect confidentiality
Be a good listener and communicate with the Mentee
Provide guidance and offer relevant advice, encourage your Mentee to find a solution to a problem or issue themselves
Help your Mentee explore career development opportunities
Be aware of your own professional knowledge and notify the ITP Mentoring team if you feel the relationship is not the right match

Note that you are not liable for what your Mentee says or does as a result of the mentoring relationship.

Eligibility of Mentors

To take part in the programme, Mentors:

Must be Associate or Full Members of ITP
Must have studied the ITP Mentoring Guide and participated in a Mentor induction with ITP
Attend periodic training and networking sessions (this will include Mentors getting together and talking about lessons learnt and attending events about mentoring with guest speakers etc.)