posts_en

Knowledge Transfer Through Mentoring

Developing Strategies to Facilitate Knowledge Transfer Through Mentoring Knowledge transfer is not just a business efficiency problem – it also impacts recruitment and retention. “We learned, for example, that knowledge workers perceive a mentor-driven, employee training and development program as a way that their organizations value them,” Panopto co-founder Eric Burns says. Not only the loss of specialized knowledge when employees depart, impacts all companies. Also there are other sound business reasons for implementing a knowledge transfer strategy. Knowledge sharing is an effective method for supplementing corporate training and on boarding efforts. Having a strategy for capturing the knowledge of key employees is an efficient way to supplement more structured corporate training that may not be able to keep up fast enough with the way business is changing. In today’s competitive business climate, it behooves companies of all sizes to develop a strategy to facilitate knowledge transfer. Some obstacles to facilitating knowledge sharing: Tools. The company may not have the appropriate tools to facilitate knowledge sharing, or employees may not have the confidence to use the technology that exists. The reality is that preserving organizational knowledge does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as recording a … Read more

Profile of WBL Mentors

1. Setting the Scene A mentor has an essential role to play in providing the necessary training to apprentices. Unfortunately many are experts in their specific technical field. However are these people ready to be mentors in a work-based learning context? Mentors do not work in isolation, and are not machines. Hence the human nature is to be considered as well. An effective mentor requires crucial attributes and skills that together complete the profile of a successful mentor. 2. The Qualities of a Mentor In order to better understand the profile of a mentor, we need to consider some examples of good qualities that are expected from someone to fulfill this role. The below list includes some examples. It is to note that this is not exhaustive. Nonetheless, it should surely serve as a good start for your understanding.

Daily Life of WBL Mentors

What is like to Mentor? The Mentor has the specific task of guiding employees with less experience within the workplace context and establish strong and reliable relationships with the different individuals involved.  One will observe how a mentor interacts with the different stakeholders involved at different stages of the mentoring process. This includes the relations and interactions with mentees, employers and each stakeholder within the mentoring process. The Mentor at the place of work is responsible for the moulding of individuals into ever-developing professionals. They are a point of reference and the team members of a company to which mentees turn to for guidance and support in their growth and development along their career journey. On a daily basis a Mentor is the source of support and learning.   Daily Planning and Preparation The Mentor needs to get to know who they will be mentoring and what are the goals of the company and the individuals who will be undergoing mentoring. Thus the mentor will need to dedicate time to researching the goals and mentoring methods and practices through which ultimately these individuals reach the set goals. Mentors needs to identify different practices and select those practices which could work … Read more

Recognition

Introducing foreign qualifications & frameworks Video A) National Framework of Qualifications – Quality and Qualifications Ireland This video introduces the concept of a National Qualification framework using the example of EU member state Ireland and the purpose of such a framework for both employers and employees.   Video B) Recruiting qualified workers from other European countries Using the example from the logistics industry, this video provides an overview of the kinds of difficulties and challenges faced by employers when the decide to recruit staff from a different country.   Video C) Showing and using skills A brief video overview of the EQF and how it helps workers who wish to seek employment abroad and for business hiring internationally https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1217&langId=en   EU Qualification Framework Video A) Explaining the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) This online video from the UK qualifications authority gives a brief introduction to the EQF, and its purpose in providing a guideline for employers to understand qualifications across different EU countries. There is a brief overview of how the qualification levels are structured, and uses the example of how they compare to the UK qualification structure. With examples from the food & Hospitality industry, the video presents the benefits … Read more

International Recruitment

Hiring Internationally – Where to start….. Many companies consider recruiting employees from other European companies, however many face apprehensions and uncertainties when beginning their journey on such recruitment campaigns. Many considerations in such campaigns can often be beyond the expertise of HR staff, such as language capabilities, qualification recognition, legal aspects etc. For many companies wishing to recruit internationally, be it qualified skilled workers, apprentices or even interns, a service provided by the European union has proven invaluable. EURES: a bridge between employers and jobseekers across Europe This European recruiting service provides a platform for employers and jobseekers across Europe to connect with one another, provifng cuntless benefits and solving many of the recruiting challenges that companies can face int their local regions. How can employers benefit from the EURES Network There are many business sectors in Europe is a sector that often can locate the skilled personnel it needs to fill vacancies and provide a quality experience to it customers . Factors such as location and geography, or requirements of a specific skill set can take on a new dimension when companies widen their recruitment outside of their own regions. i) EURES for the tourism sector ii) Recruiting talent … Read more

WBL Monitoring

In order for work-based learning to be a success in companies, there is the necessity for continued improvement. Not only is this benefiticial to the learner by better providing them with a better learning experience, but this also produces better and more qualified apprentices and in turn is profitable for the private company. One fo the most successful ways to achieve continuous improvement is through feedback. Why is Feedback Important? Feedback can take two directions i) feedback from company to the apprentice on how to improve their skills ii) feedback from apprentice to company (and apprentice supervisor) on how to improve the apprentice programme How can feedback be correctly communicated Mentoring Skills: Giving Feedback In order for continuous improvement to be achieved the company hosting the apprentice, often requires feedback.  This is a standard procedure in many apprenticeship programmes and is forms part of the structure of the highly acclaimed dual vocation system being practiced in the german speaking countries of europe. This feedback can come in structured form of Appraisal interview Sample Monitoring checklist

Planning WBL

WBL & Apprenticeships Amongst the many examples of Work based learning, the dual vocational system has long been recognized as one the most successful and long-standing apprenticeship models around the world. As the name suggests, the dual vocational system allows apprentice to split their learning time between the theoretical learning of a vocational school, as well as practical learning through direct employment which is facilitated by a private company. The dual system has been practiced in this way in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for hundreds of years. Dual Vocational Training – Germany’s successful system The dual Vocational system has not been popular popular in the german speaking countries but has begun to be adopted in other countries across Europe, as businesses discover the benefits of hosting this programme and the quality of qualified workers it can achieve for a company. Apprenticeships across the EU: how to maximise their benefits Although this form of apprenticeship training is highly beneficial for both company and apprentice, private companies must often begin to get creative as they find themselves not only competing against each other for the best apprentice candidates but against the wide career options open to young people in Europe today. Companies … Read more

Decode the Jargon

How do you estimate the level of qualification of employees and job applicants? Especially if they have achieved the qualification in another country?
As vocational education and training

Company’s Role In WBL

Role of the company in work-based learning The role of the company in the process of introducing and implementing work-based learning is crucial and an essential component. The workplace environment is where learners experience real life scenarios, improve their skills and implement all the knowledge acquired during the theoretical part of the learning process. Therefore, it is very important, that companies engage and create a welcoming and safe environment offering efficient support to their learners. Considering the often negative perception of WBL by different stakeholders, it is crucial to highlight that companies get all the mutual benefits of work-based learning, and we need to promote a positive narrative of WBL through the development of sector-specific case studies and success stories and market these to the wider public encouraging engagement and uptake of WBL opportunities. The first step on the journey towards introducing WBL within your company is to become conscious of the reasons why work-based learning is a win-win situation for everyone involved in the process and become familiar with the national regulations and process of implementing work-based learning. This stage of the planning phase requires and involves also a certain level of autonomy and innovation by planning and creating … Read more

Europass for Employers

The Europass helps employers save time and energy when estimating qualifications or further training needs of employees and trainees. It is especially useful when dealing with job applications from another EU country, because it helps HR personnel understanding the level of qualification of an applicant. What is the Europass? Europass is a set of documents that allow you to assess qualifications in an efficient way by allowing you to find and easily compare information.