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EDGING Forward to a third successful year
24th May 2007
EDGE Forward, the east of England staff mentoring programme which helps people working in the housing sector develop their career, celebrated its second successful year at Chilford Hall, Linton on 24th May. The event also served to launch the programme for its third year.
The popular scheme attracted 36 mentees and 32 mentors during 2006 and has been so successful it has attracted the interest of the Housing Diversity Network , who will use the programme as a model and roll it out nationally during 2007.
The scheme gives housing practitioners working at any level in their organisation the opportunity for regular one to one mentoring sessions with a senior housing professional from another housing organisation. Participants are also invited to attend four one-day workshops throughout the year, which include self awareness, management and leadership, dealing with discrimination and conflict and training and development. It also provides a great opportunity for networking with other housing practitioners.
Chair of the scheme, Simone Russell commented:
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for the sector where everyone wins. Mentees are encouraged and supported to develop their skills and aspirations; employers have the comfort of knowing that the scheme is encouraging and supporting the development of staff, and mentors commit to acting as a sounding board and enriching the professional lives of their mentees’.
Clare Lawrance, a mentee on this year’s scheme said:
‘My mentor has been genuinely inspiring and has reignited my enthusiasm for my career and the work I do. He's given me an honest assessment of the impression I make on others, offered me the benefit of his experience in housing, helped me develop solutions for specific management issues and shown me (by example) what a huge impact a strong leader can have on a team. My experience of the mentoring scheme has been really positive and I'm hoping to be involved in the steering group next year and become a mentor for others in the future. Examining your personal qualities in such an open way isn’t an easy option, but if you are prepared to be honest and work hard at self-improvement, it’s a great way to learn.’
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