Having someone in your corner who’s been there, done that, can be a real game-changer. Mentoring isn’t just about giving advice, it’s about connection, guidance and support from someone who’s passionate about sharing the lessons they’ve learnt.
A quick guide to understanding mentorships
Mentoring comes in many forms to suit different needs. The most common is traditional one-on-one relationships. There’s also peer mentoring between individuals at similar levels and group mentoring involving one mentor with multiple mentees.
Mentoring brings many benefits. For the mentee this is things like accelerated learning and skill development, increased confidence and an expanded network. For the mentor, benefits include development of leadership and coaching skills, increased job satisfaction, fulfilment and even enhanced communication and interpersonal skills.
Ultimately, mentoring should be about fostering a long-term relationship that encourages learning, development and confidence.
How mentoring fits into the government’s social value commitments
When it comes to the government’s social value commitments mentoring plays an important role. Particularly in tackling economic inequality and fostering a thriving business environment across the United Kingdom.
The need for more digital, data and technology (DDaT) skills in the public sector is widely recognised. By connecting experienced mentors with those seeking guidance, mentoring supports the development of these essential skills – now and in the future.
Skill sharing and development through mentoring is an excellent way to help the government’s nationwide focus on jobs and skills in high growth sectors with known skills shortages – like the public sector. This will help to narrow the gap between communities while supporting organisations to help their teams to grow and thrive.
What mentoring inside Made Tech looks like
There’s nothing better than bringing experience and knowledge you’ve built and seeing others benefit. Sometimes you’re just an ear, other times an impartial confidant and guide. It’s a special feeling to have the chance to do something positive for others.Haze Jones, Director of Health and Life Sciences
Mentoring at Made Tech isn’t new. It’s something we’ve been doing for a while, but in typical Made Tech-style, we want to continually improve. For us right now this means making sure access to mentoring is available for everyone who wants it. For those that want to be a mentor and those that want to be mentored.
Mentoring can be a really rewarding experience for both parties. I’ve been a mentor and mentee through different mentoring programmes. As a mentor I get great satisfaction from being able to spend time focusing on helping others to get the best from themselves. It really is a brilliant thing to be part of and I would recommend it to anyone.Sara Christie, Delivery Principal
While we have much longer term goals for what mentoring at Made Tech will look like (more on that later), right now we want to make sure our current programme:
- helps team members enhance and develop their skills
- supports career development for both upward and lateral growth
- supports our people managers to enhance their skills
- provides team members with the tools to be great mentors
Empowering women of colour to excel in tech
This feels like the right time to share more about our partnership with the brilliant organisation, TeacHer. TeacHer plays a vital role in empowering women of colour who are passionate about entering and thriving in the DDaT sector.
As an organisation TeacHer is dedicated to providing resources and opportunities that help women to thrive. They’re a tight-knit community that provide a welcoming space for women to learn, connect and realise their potential.
A DDaT mentoring partnership with TeacHer
We’ve now wrapped up 8 weeks of mentoring 8 women who were looking to learn more about roles in DDaT and the public sector. Our team of mentors from across Made Tech met with their mentees every 2 weeks to guide them through the programme and provide their unique insights and advice.
Mentoring a talented woman as she navigated her first UK job search and career transition into tech was a deeply rewarding experience. We worked together on refining her CV, building confidence for interviews and exploring pathways into the industry. Along the way, I gained fresh insight into the challenges faced by newcomers to the UK job market and was inspired by her resilience, ambition and curiosity. It reinforced for me how powerful and mutually beneficial mentoring relationships can be.Laura Burnett, Delivery Director
After a successful partnership we’ve had a surge of our team members looking to become mentors and pass on their knowledge and experiences to others.
My mentor has been incredible. They’ve been supporting me as I work towards transitioning to a project manager role, reviewing my CV, reaching out to people in their network for advice and always getting back to me quickly with helpful feedback. With their guidance, I landed my first interview and even though I didn’t get the job, I was the next best candidate and put on the reserve list, which felt like real progress. My mentor also encouraged me to go for certifications that will boost my chances.Mentee from our TeacHer partnership
We’re now looking at how we can expand and repeat our mentoring offering at Made Tech. Part of that looks like offering skills sessions for mentees such as CV reviews and interview tips.
Mentorships as a force for change
Mentoring can transform careers and wider change. At its core it’s about building connections and sharing experiences. It can also be used to foster the kind of growth that addresses real needs in our communities – from building DDaT skills to support our public sector to helping people from all backgrounds have access to support that will see them grow.
Our recent partnership with TeacHer truly brought this to life for us, highlighting the real impact dedicated support can have. As we continue to nurture our own mentoring culture here at Made Tech, we’re excited about the future and the ongoing opportunities to learn, develop and make a difference together, one valuable session at a time.
If you’re passionate about growth and eager to contribute to a culture that values mentorship, take a look at our open roles.
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