Mentor training is a period of instruction that is required before one is allowed to mentor kids or coworkers. Mentors may provide support, advise, or other help to people who need it, and it is important that someone who wants to become a mentor receive thorough training. Mentor training is typically free, and many people volunteer to be mentors for children.
Mentor training may last only a few days or weeks depending on the type of mentoring that one will be doing. Some mentors work with kids to help them perform better in school, to develop good study habits, or to complete homework after school. Other mentors may simply spend time with kids, and accompany them to sports practices or other community involvement programs in order to help them make friends and develop positive role models.
Another type of mentor is one who works with older kids, such as high school students who are considering their career paths. A mentor might allow a student to accompany him or her to work for a few days to learn about the job, and to develop contacts. Even after the mentoring program is over, the student may often contact the mentor for extra help when looking for a job. This type of mentoring typically does not require much mentor training.
Within some companies, mentor programs exist where current employees will mentor other employees to make them better able to be promoted in the future, and to help them develop new skills on the job. Generally, management or human resources will consider the employees that they determine to work well with others, who consistently have a positive attitude and perform their duties on the job, to be potential mentors. Those employees will then receive mentor training, and may then be assigned to work with other, newer employees to help them succeed in their jobs.
In any type of mentor training, whether one will be working with kids or adults, mentors will learn how best to interact with other people, and how to deal with challenging situations if they arise. Mentors will also learn about appropriate and inappropriate behaviors regarding the mentor relationship. It is important for anyone who wants to become a mentor to take the mentor training process seriously, and to learn as much as possible, because a good mentor can have a large and positive impact on another person's life who may be struggling.
