Nursery manager Michelle Roads describes the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Learning Mentors programme as compelling. 'Everyone who participated in my group during the ten-week programme was enthusiastic about coming back each week,' she says. 'The beauty of it was that we were able to look at situations from different angles, with each individual bringing their experience to bear.'
The effectiveness of the programme was recently recognised when a 2007 National Training Award was given to the Yorkshire and Humber region. The judges felt it had exceeded its remit to create effective 'learning mentors', with the ability to identify and oversee training.
According to the programme, mentors are pivotal to raising standards and should be something all managers are prepared to embrace. However, managers themselves may not always be best placed to take on the role. Claire Heslop, manager of Daisy Chain Nursery in Heaton, Bradford, says that the training helped her to appreciate that, where the owner is the manager, it might be more appropriate for another staff member to step in.
'In my nursery I am hands-on and feel comfortable being a mentor,' she says. 'But where the manager is more removed, it would work better to have someone who is more accessible and viewed as a friend.'
The NDNA head of workforce development, Stella Ziolkowski, is optimistic that local authorities will be willing to invest in the course, after investment from the Learning & Skills Councils put it on the training map in 2006. There is also the possibility for nurseries to access it through the Transformation Fund.
'It has a proven track record and we have had great feedback about the practical benefits,' she says. 'Practitioners become more reflective and develop confidence. Appraisals and inductions have been improved, and this has a knock-on effect on staff morale and retention.'
Michelle Roads agrees that the programme is about a lot more than passively sitting back and trying to absorb powerpoint presentations.
'Each session was varied and involved preparation,' she says. 'It was a great starting point for new ideas and was also very focused on personal development.'
Further information: The Learning Mentors programme is developed in partnership with Allied Business Solutions and is endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and Managers. For details visit: www.ndna.org.uk.
