Mentoring is a powerful tool. MentorProgramma Friesland introduces this tool within a powerful environment: the education of young people. Vocational and university education is the underlying structure of the programme, providing funding and embedding.
The programme provides additional guidance to young people in education. It is an addition to the regular support and counselling at school. It is a preventative programme that cannot be used as a problem-solving method. The basic principle is that the student has a learning need that can only be answered by an external personal mentor. The programme searches for the best match between supply (learning goal of the student) and demand (unique experience of the mentor).

Stakeholders

MentorProgramma Friesland works with several stakeholders in order to create a broad network around young people and their learning goals. Stakeholders are involved at all stages of the development of the programme. Young people form the basis of the in-school learning company that supports the mentoring programme. Through regular meetings of the advisory board, the programme stays keen on trends and new developments. All stakeholders are represented in the advisory board.
Read more about the advantages of mentoring for all stakeholders, under the menu items to the left.

 

Students: mentees

The mentoring programme is designed for students from different types of education and backgrounds. The programme is offered as a preventive tool in avoiding school drop-out rather that a way of fixing the issue afterwards. It is also offered as a tool for increasing the ambitions of young people.
For this reason, no distinction is made among students: special needs, well performing or at risk. There are no specific characteristics that lead to a detailed profile of the target group. However, there is one feature that binds all students applying for a mentor: the willingness to learn something new in order to reach their goals. They search for a helping hand, a positive role model and someone to listen to them.

 

Industry: mentors

SMEs and larger companies in the region of the school implementing the Mentoring Programme form the business world network of mentoring. In the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility and search for young talents, companies invest in mentoring programmes. They facilitate mentoring during working hours, on company premises and sponsor meetings of mentors. They participate in the organization of the programme through the advisory board.

The key advantages of mentoring for the business world are:
• Improvement of leadership competences
Mentoring is a way for every professional to improve their coaching and leadership skills. Mentoring requires a willingness to share, listen and provide advice in a flexible relationship shaped by the needs of the mentee.
• Corporate social responsibility
Mentoring is a way for companies to show corporate social responsibility (CSR). Involvement in the Supreme mentor program is a way to give back to society.
• Future employees
Involvement in the SUPREME Mentoring Program creates the opportunity to prepare and scout future employees.
• Corporate image
Mentoring creates a positive image of your company amongst future employees, future customers and clients and thus creates commercial gain.
• Personally rewarding
The personal satisfaction of imparting wisdom and experience to others without a huge time commitment.

 

Society

The key advantages of mentoring for society are:
• Empowering adolescents
The results show, mentoring stimulates the intellectual and emotional development of adolescents by increasing their school skills, social skills, self esteem and social network.
• Bridging social capital
One speaks of bridging social capital when collective or economic benefits are derived from the connections that are made between two different social groups. Mentoring creates tolerance, trust and understanding between the different generations and different social groups. Mutual understanding and respect is created by the sharing of life experiences.
• Prevention of school drop out
Mentoring has proven to contribute to the fight against school dropout in vocational education.
• Youth unemployment
Mentoring prevents youth unemployment by strengthening the network of adolescents.
• Active citizenship
A mentor is not a professional but always a volunteer. Mentoring stimulates active citizenship. The results show that 35% of the mentors involved in the Dutch mentoring program have never done volunteering before their mentorship. In the Netherlands, mentor projects are pioneers in stimulating voluntary work. Social issues can (partly) be solved with civil commitment instead of only relying on professionals.

 

Education

In addition to the key advantages mentioned above (empowering adolescents and the prevention of early school drop outs), other key advantages of mentoring for education are:

• School mindset
Embracing mentoring in your school will contribute to an alteration in the way of thinking within a school. Mentoring as a pedagogical management facility can contribute to the way students act in the classroom. In the Netherlands, the mentoring programme caused a complete new way of thinking amongst teachers, thus creating a change in mindset within the school.
• Network
Setting up a mentoring program strengthens the network of a vocational school. A mentoring program requires connection to business world mentors, thus creating a strong relationship between companies and vocational schools. Because mentoring is based on personal contact, individual mentors will feel more involved in the school’s program and activities. Connecting people to people rather than schools to business will create a positive school image. Positive side effects of this relationship are: contacts for guest lectures, business world visits, internships for students, traineeships, business world projects, etc. Besides the business world network, schools also strengthen their links with social partners like governments, universities and other vocational colleges.

Mentoring is an instrument with a broad variaty of implementations in the society. It is a form of coaching and networking and makes an essential contribution to the growth and success of an individual. Mentoring provides recognition and acknowledgement. It provides role modelling, stimulus and personal attention to the participants. The participants – mentees – achieve their goals faster when they feel supported and encouraged by someone who has travelled a similar path before. Students make use of the success strategies of the mentor. The strength of mentoring lies in the fact that all parties benefit from it. The mentee gains confidence and has the feeling of not standing alone. The mentor develops skills as a leader, trainer and coach.
Mentoring brings an additional encouragement for participating youth to realise their career ambitions and life aspirations. If students lack a positive role model and personal attention in their existing private network, a mentor can help with dilemmas in the field of personal leadership, education or career. A mentor has the role of counsellor, guide, coach, teacher and sponsor.

These role models are a key factor for success. Due to the mentoring relationship, the mentees learn to see that study and work belong to real possibilities. They become motivated to continue rather than to give up. They make conscious decisions for their future.

Roles of a mentor

The most essential aspect of mentoring is that an experienced person feels responsible for the development of a less experienced person. In this view, the main functions of a mentor are the following:

Teacher

Develops the intellectual and technical skills of a student; a mentor helps with existing competencies and skills

Sponsor

Makes the labour market, work organisations and school organisations accessible for a beginner

Host and guide

Guides and introduces the beginner to the labour market/follow-up education

Example

Shows a way of life and a certain performance. The mentor serves as an example for the student. The main goal is the development of the aspirations of the mentee. The mentor is more than a role model: the message is not “be as I am” but “be as you can be.” This form of mentoring requires a high degree of commitment and a personal relationship between mentor and mentee.

Advisor

Gives advice, constructive criticism and moral support to beginners and also shows a certain affection. Mentoring is intended to provide opportunities and support, not only giving instructions. A mentor should support and encourage, rather than instruct.

 

Internship

Would you like to work in an environment where students are in the lead?
Would you like to gain knowledge and experience in mentoring and coaching?
Would you like to learn to present, organize and network?
Then MentorProgram Friesland is the perfect internship for you!

Mentor Program Friesland
The MentorProgram supports young people in achieving training and career ambitions by linking them to a mentor. Mentoring is a tool that works, with a wide application in society. It is a form of coaching and networking and makes a significant contribution to the growth and success of others. Mentoring gives acknowledgment and recognition. It offers role modeling, encouragement and a listening ear to the participants.

What do we offer?
As an intern, you are involved in all activities within MentorProgramma Friesland;

from development to communications
from marketing to event organising
from policy making to knowledge sharing
You will also take part in (European) innovation activities with students. You position yourself as a role model within the organisation.

Adapt work to your learning goals
MentorProgram Friesland is a dynamic work environment with students of different education levels, cultures and ages. Thanks to the great diversity of work and activities, it is possible to work on your learning goals at MentorProgramma Friesland. Depending on your wishes, the internship can be partially implemented.

What Can You Learn?
In addition, you will learn a lot at the MentorProgram Friesland, such as:

Presenting
organizing
Networking
Increasing self confidence
Get good work experience
Work in a dynamic environment
being flexible

Who do we look for?
As an intern you have the following characteristics:

You have a great sense of responsibility
You are solution focused
You work precisely and result-oriented
You have a proactive attitude to work
You like to work in a dynamic environment
You do not have a 9 to 5 mentality
You possess a good sense of humor
If you do not have all the points above, but are very motivated to do an internship with us, we would also like to get in touch with you. With us you can work on your learning question and it may be right here!

Additional information
The language of instruction at MentorProgramma Friesland is Dutch and English. Various assignments and activities of the MentorProgramme Friesland and European Center are available to students of various study programs such as Leisure Management, Public Administration, HRM, European Studies, BKM, Communication, IBMS, Social Work, CMD, teacher training and more. The students work together on the assignments in multisectoral teams, under the direction of a small team of professionals.

* Internships, assignments and researches can start any time of the year.

Are you an almost or recent graduate looking for a job in Friesland?
Do you want to develop further in an ambitious, enterprising, international setting?
Do you want to contribute to new forms of collaboration from vocational education?
Do you want to set up activities with and by MBO and HBO students?
Then contact us!
MentorProgram Friesland brings activities of mentoring, ethical entrepreneurship, European cooperation and innovation close to students, and is looking for a trainee for this.*

The activities take place both in Friesland and abroad, with ‘students in the lead’. The trainee works across all study programs and departments of the knowledge institution, in close collaboration with companies and other stakeholders in the region. The traineeship is part of a multisectoral team of project leaders within education, supported by a training company of MBO and HBO students; this setting offers continuous inspiration and coaching while performing the work.

The activities focus on setting up, developing and executing various project activities. Examples include giving workshops and presentations, developing and testing innovative tools for personal leadership and entrepreneurship, and organizing events with students and role models from the business community.

* There are currently no vacancies open. If you have any questions, you can ask them using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

We ask:

Enterprising personality
HBO or WO background
The ability to establish and maintain regional, national and international contacts
Working from ‘students in the lead’ and the ability to coach students from the strength
Written and oral skills in the English and Dutch language
Willingness to think and act outside regular office hours
The ability to translate project objectives into educational processes and competences

We offer:

A starter job with a lot of flexibility and dynamics

Coaching learning and working environment
Combination of own responsibilities and co-creation from a team
Building a large network in the region, nationally and European
Salary of gross €1417 per month for full-time employment, in accordance with the traineeship conditions of the partnership MentorProgramma Friesland
Interested?
For more information, please contact Szilvia Simon, project leader MentorProgramma Friesland.

Email: s.simon@mentorprogrammafriesland.nl
Phone: +31610925655

You can email your application letter to info@mentorprogrammafriesland.nl, stating ‘Traineeship mentoring and European cooperation in vocational education’.