The
Business Mentoring Project was set up within
the Association of Finnish Local and Regional
Authorities at the beginning of 1997. At
present, 150 out of all 452 Finnish municipalities
participated in the project. The number
of business mentors totals over 300 persons.
The mentors are experienced and successful
senior business managers. Many of them are
retired from their full-time work. The mentors
are willing to offer their own professional
experience and expertise for the benefit
of small local companies. Co-operation between
mentors and companies is completely confidential.
The mentors’ activities in companies
can take various forms. Most often, they
are discussion partners for the companies'
managing directors and help to analyze problems
and find solutions to them. The mentors
work as advisers, for instance in marketing,
technical, financial, legal and managerial
questions.
Many mentors have a long-term experience
of working with international markets and
good contacts with customers abroad. Internationalization
of SMEs is one of the main functions in
the Business Mentor Project. The main role
of the mentors is to build links for small
companies with international markets. (The
project is financed by the Ministry of Trade
and Industry and the municipalities which
are participating in the project).
The Mentoring Program at HUT
The one-year project offers students at
the final stage of their studies an opportunity
to get mentoring from a person – Helsinki
University of Technology's (HUT) alumni
- with adequate work experience. Students
who have a minimum of 100 study credits
can apply to the program.
The program aims to enhance the student's
capability to cope with work and life and
develop himself/herself as a person. The
program supports students’ career
development and employment opportunities
and helps with their studies. Students are
thus provided also with possibilities to
create networks and get an insight into
the mentors’ field of work.
Mentoring in AIESEC
Mentoring supports and intensifies the
learning of the AIESEC program participant.
The idea is to provide chances for program
participants to clarify and reflect their
thoughts with a person outside of their
peer group – their mentor. Mentoring
should support students in reaching the
AIESEC program goals: helping in defining
their values, supporting them in broadening
their worldview and giving them courage
to act upon their values and future plans.
The goals of the mentoring in the AIESEC
program is: firstly, the student clarifies
his/her values, strengths and development
areas; secondly, the student gets help in
defining the important things and the future
direction in his/her life; thirdly, the
student gets opportunities to reflect his/her
experiences throughout the AIESEC-program;
and finally, the student gets support in
pursuing his/her future ambitions.
1st meeting
Purpose:
- Make it easier to begin getting to know
each other
- Establish the expectations for the
mentoring
- “SWOT” for all –
starting to know each other
- Decide the first “goals”
for mentoring
- Start to build the network between
the mentors and the students
2nd meeting
- This could be done at the same time
when the next mentoring round is having
the 1st meeting!
- Networking and sharing feelings
- Sharing the experience with the “newly
started” couples
Final meeting – the end of the
process
- It is very important that the process
has an official ending!
- What did I gain etc. – an evaluation
and feedback opportunity
- How to take this forward
- There should be a meeting after the
traineeship – all students should
have a place to share the traineeship
experiences as well, so this could be
best done in the re-integration seminar
- After the last common meeting the pair
should meet one more time and set goals
for the future
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