Making Indigenous Australian Apprenticeships Your Business

Topic 6 - Mentoring employers and Indigenous trainees to ehance retention

Indigenous Australian Apprenticeships Resource Kit

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Contents

Why use mentoring?

What is the mentor’s role?
What mentors are not
What qualities does the mentor need?
What are some of the special issues in mentoring Indigenous Australians?
What are the stages in the mentoring relationship?
What are some basic rules of communication?
What is important about personal values?

How can you use mentoring to make a difference in your organisation?
Not sure about setting up and implementing a mentoring program?

Start by learning from others – Case Studies

Using Mentoring to Retain Indigenous Australian Apprentices
DETAAC 'The Way Ahead for Aboriginal People'
Property Services Training Company - Indigenous mentoring
AFL SportsReady - Using Indigenous role models and mentors

REFERENCES

Further reading

TOPIC C6 – Mentoring employers and Indigenous trainees to enhance retention

Mentoring services may be provided to meet a range of needs in the workplace. In this Topic we are focusing on the particular needs of Indigenous Australian Apprentices and their workplace colleagues to ensure that the employment arrangement is maintained to achieve completion of the training programme.

Why use mentoring?

Indigenous Australian Apprentices must cope with greater personal, social and cultural pressures than most of their peers. These pressures place the Indigenous Australian Apprentice at risk of failing to complete their accredited training program. Early intervention through a structured mentoring relationship may give the Indigenous Australian Apprentice the tools and support they need to deal effectively with these pressures while completing their qualification.

Mentoring will:

•	ensure that Indigenous Australian Apprentices identify in advance issues, problems and pressures that could have a negative effect on their retention in training
•	ensure that solutions are identified and that help is available when required to overcome these problems
•	provide Indigenous Australian Apprentices with a role model who can help them achieve their employment goals
•	foster organisational learning and strengthen the desired Australian Apprentice behaviours
•	support existing Australian Apprentices to be role models for other Indigenous trainees
•	assist Australian Apprentices to increase self-awareness of their strengths and weaknesses
•	enable Australian Apprentices to identify options for development and career progression
•	assist Australian Apprentices to develop new skills and insights
•	increase confidence, happiness, self-esteem, enthusiasm and commitment
•	facilitate team work and mutual support
•	contribute to breaking down the barriers between Australian Apprentices, their employers and work colleagues.

Mentoring and coaching are human resource development strategies that are used widely in industry to support employees.

However, these arrangements are generally:

•	used informally and in a voluntary capacity
•	provided by people who are not trained and formally qualified for these roles
•	applied without the benefit of supporting resources.

Mentoring Indigenous Australian Apprentices presents special challenges, particularly around cross-cultural sensitivities. You will need to plan and tailor your approach to the needs of the Indigenous trainee, their work colleagues and the formal training provider. In other words, Indigenous mentoring cannot be ad hoc.

What is the mentor’s role?

It is common to hear the mentor described as:

•	a coach
•	a guide
•	a role model
•	an advocate.

While any or all of these terms may capture the mentor’s role, the following activities describe the roles that mentors may provide in the lives of the Indigenous Australian Apprentice.

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Training support
Keeping the New Apprentice in the training contract and helping them complete their training programme. It may involve evaluating career choices and directing them to support resources if they are experiencing difficulty with learning.

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Role modelling
Pointing out, demonstrating and explaining your own actions and values that offer the Australian Apprentice the best chances for success and happiness. It means helping the Australian Apprentice see and strive for broader horizons and possibilities than they may see in their present environment. For example, it may mean pointing out the benefits of ongoing paid employment over the alternative of welfare dependency.

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Attention and concern
An Indigenous Australialian Apprentice may not have access to dependable support from adults in their own lives. They may be the first Australian Apprentice of their family, or community. Mentors might therefore fill a vital role by offering dependable, sincere and consistent attention and concern.

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Accountability
Mentors must demonstrate the importance of reliability and accountability. For example, a commitment made to a Australian Apprentice for a meeting or other activity should be a mentor’s first priority, barring emergencies. This consistent accountability has several benefits in that it:

º	sets a good example for the Australian Apprentice to see and follow
º	cements trust between the mentor and Australian Apprentice
º	creates mutual expectations that can be met.

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Listening
The other adults in the Australian Apprentice’s life may not have the time, interest or ability to listen, or they may be judgmental. Mentors can encourage the Australian Apprentice to talk about their fears, dreams and concerns. Staying neutral and not judging, but rather, sharing your own values, is important in listening. A mentor may be the only adult in a Australian Apprentice’s life who listens to them.

[Adapted from David Clutterback (1991)]

What mentors are not

There is no expectation that mentors of Australian Apprentices will take on the roles of parent, professional counsellor or social worker. However, some aspects of these roles will be a part of the mentor’s role of:

•	listening
•	nurturing
•	supporting
•	advising.

Through the mentor’s sustained caring, interest, and acceptance, Indigenous Australian Apprentices may begin to think of themselves as worthy of this attention. Hopefully, they will apply this new, stronger sense of self-confidence to other relationships and experiences, including in their training programme and work-based learning.

Mentoring is not a paAACea for all the problems and deficiencies facing Indigenous Australian Apprentices and their families. The essence of mentoring is the sustained human relationship. Mentor programmes can enhance the quality of this relationship by providing support activities and opportunities for development of social and vocational skills of the Australian Apprentices through structured activities.

Mentoring is not about changing the values of an Indigenous trainee that have been developed in a cultural setting that is different from your own. The challenge is to achieve a balance between the often competing pressures of the trainee’s Indigenous cultural obligations and their obligations to their employer and work colleagues.

This can be achieved by having the mentor promote the benefits of the Australian Apprenticeship for both the Australian Apprentice and their community at every opportunity.

What qualities does the mentor need?

An effective mentor is someone who can:

•	manage the partnership
•	encourage and empower
•	nurture
•	tutor and coach the trainee
•	offer mutual trust and respect
•	respond to the trainee’s needs.

We examine each of these mentoring skills below.

Managing the partnership means the ability to:

•	manage both a normal workload and the mentoring role
•	communicate effectively, to express thoughts, feelings and beliefs in direct, honest and appropriate ways that do not violate the other person's rights or sacrifice one's own
•	explain the mentoring purpose, goals and values
•	advise on issues and problems encountered by the trainee and specifically those that can hinder retention in the Australian Apprenticeship
•	communicate effectively and act as a counsellor.

Encouraging and empowering means the ability to:

•	motivate
•	act as a role model
•	give clear and objective feedback.

Nurturing means the ability to:

•	promote personal growth and development, encourage independence and self-reliance while providing an appropriate level of support
•	maintain a satisfying balance of work and non-work aspects of life and encourage the trainee to examine their personal priorities in this context.

Tutoring/coaching the trainee means the ability to:

•	help the trainee assess their current level of competence and to set targets to improve their performance
•	use adult learning principles in creating learning scenarios to challenge the trainee
•	refer the trainee to a variety of learning approaches.

Offering mutual trust and respect means the ability to:

•	accept differences in culture, values, interests, goals and priorities
•	focus on problems not personalities
•	hold one’s own position while seeing and respecting others’ right to hold a different opinion.

Responding to the trainee’s needs means the ability to:

•	meet the trainee’s needs within the parameters of the mentoring agreement
•	not impose their advice on the trainee, but to assist them to articulate their own wants, needs and solutions.

What are some of the special issues in mentoring Indigenous Australians?

While a mentor can be an Indigenous or non-Indigenous person, it is essential that non-Indigenous mentors have an interest in and understanding of Indigenous issues that are likely to influence the Australian Apprentice.

Some relevant issues may be:

•	Aboriginal deaths in custody
•	survival
•	Aboriginal history
•	location
•	stolen generations
•	cultural identity
•	social expectation, cultural responsibilities, family structure
•	cultural differences, cultural protocol, cultural knowledge
•	racism
•	languages
•	empowerment
•	reconciliation.

Note that not all of these issues are relevant to every Indigenous Australian Apprentice.

For example, not all Indigenous Australians were taken away from their families, but many relate to this issue through family ties or other associations – likewise with many of the other issues flagged above.

Being aware of these issues and their relevance will make a difference to the manner in which communication is guided between mentor and trainee.

What are the stages in the mentoring relationship?

The relationship typically goes through three stages:

•	developing rapport and building trust
•	setting and reaching goals
•	bringing closure to the relationship.

Mentors need to understand these stages and their roles in each.

Stage One: Developing rapport and building trust

One of the best ways to build trust is to help the Australian Apprentice accomplish something that is important to them – the completion of the training programme. Mentors must take the time to help the Australian Apprentice identify the goals they want to accomplish, view each one realistically, break it down into small steps, and explore ways of reaching the goal. Building trust takes weeks, sometimes months.

Remember that Indigenous Australian Apprentices come from a cultural background in which communication styles will differ from your own. For example, you may notice a difference in terms of:

•	eye contact
•	silent pauses
•	reluctance to question.

An awareness of cultural differences such as these will enhance your relationship with the Australian Apprentice.

Indigenous Australian Apprentices may be slower than most to give their trust. They may be expecting inconsistency and lack of commitment, due to past experiences with adults. The mentor’s trustworthiness and commitment may be tested, particularly when Australian Apprenties are from unstable backgrounds where adults have repeatedly disappointed them. During the testing period, mentors can expect:

•	missed appointments
•	phone calls not returned
•	unreasonable requests
•	angry or sullen behaviour.

Once the mentor passes the test, the real work of the relationship can begin. Mentors should remember that the issue is not whether the Indigenous Australian Apprentice likes them. From their early perspective, not having a relationship at all may seem better than trusting and subsequently losing someone. These people may come from families where nothing can be taken for granted.

Remember, predictability breeds trust. The mentor must be consistent and accountable by:

•	being on time for meetings
•	bringing promised information and other support resources
•	following through on promises and commitments that were volunteered.

Confidentiality is also an issue in the early stages. The Australian Apprentice may be unsure whether the feelings and information they disclose to their mentors will be passed on to employers, parents, etc. Early in the relationship, mentors must provide reassurance that:

•	nothing that the Australian Apprentice tells the mentor will be discussed with anyone else
•	if the mentor feels it is important to involve another adult, it will be discussed first with the Australian Apprentice.

Note, however, if there is threat of physical harm to the Australian Apprentice or to others, the mentor must break confidentiality to seek protection for the endangered person.

Stage Two: Setting and reaching goals

Once the ‘testing’ is over, the rocky part of the relationship usually ends and the Australian Apprentice becomes more committed. At times, however, old behaviours may appear, usually if the Australian Apprentice is under stress.

Now the mentor and Australian Apprentice should identify and work toward some short-term goals. It is important that the mentor have the resources necessary (or have access to them) in order to achieve a fit between what the trainee wants to learn/accomplish and what the mentor can teach/share. This is a time of closeness in the relationship.

In general, the Australian Apprentice at this stage will view their mentor as important in their lives. Since each relationship is unique, the timing and intensity will vary.

When things aren’t working, it may be that:

•	the match/fit between mentor and Australian Apprentice may not be right
•	some Indigenous people have been so disappointed and damaged by earlier experiences they are unable to risk taking advantage of a helping relationship
•	some Australian Apprentices may drop out of the programme, regardless of the level of support offered
•	the mentor may feel burdened by the relationship and feel angry or annoyed by the Australian Apprentice’s behaviour or words.

Stage Three: Relationship closure

The mentoring relationship will have a finite life, and it is important to prepare for its closure.

Some suggested strategies as you move towards closure are:

•	use the closure process as a means to reinforce and congratulate progress and strengths
•	discuss some positive actions and directions for the future
•	reassure Australian Apprentices about your confidence in their future success
•	mutually agree about how, when, or if you will stay in touch
•	follow through on any future commitment.

A letter sent to the parent and/or employer formally announcing the closure of the relationship may be appropriate in some situations.

What are some basic rules of communication?

Sound verbal communication is one of the keys to conveying information and getting your message across in your mentoring role.

The following tips can help you to communicate in an effective way:

•	Make your communication positive
•	Be clear and specific
•	Recognise that each individual sees things from a different point of view
•	Be open and honest about your feelings
•	Be supportive and accepting of the Australian Apprentice’s feelings and try to understand them
•	Do not preach or lecture. When providing information, compare it with something they already know - this will help them understand
•	Learn to listen
•	Maintain eye contact, as appropriate
•	Allow time for your trainee to talk without interruption, and show you are interested
•	Get feedback to be sure you are understood
•	Listen for a feeling tone as well as for words
•	Ask questions when you do not understand something.

Set examples rather that giving advice. Use pictures or anecdotes (stories) and examples when presenting information to make it interesting and easy to remember.

What is important about personal values?

Awareness, tolerance, and respect for the values of others are essential to establishing a successful mentoring relationship.

Everyone comes to the mentor/Australian Apprentice relationship valuing certain behaviours and ideals. As individuals, we are aware of some but not all of our values. As a first step, mentors should, themselves, recognise the values that are most important to them.

The values of the Indigenous Australian Apprentice are likely to be quite different from those of the mentor.

For example, a young Australian Apprentice may have developed their values in a family or community environment in which welfare dependency is seen as the norm, not the exception. Mentors can encourage Australian Apprentices to clarify their own values and establish goals, which are consistent with them.

It is likely that the mentor will encounter situations in which the Indigenous Australian Apprentice’s values differ markedly from their own. They may feel it necessary to advise the Australian Apprentice that they cannot condone these values as they may jeopardise successful completion of the training. In this situation, the mentor:

•	must take risks and let the Australian Apprentice see and understand what the mentor values. This sharing and modeling of values is the heart of the mentoring process.
•	must share not only what their values are, but explain why they are important, and describe how these values affect their working and personal lives. This allows the Australian Apprentice to know and understand the mentor.

By sharing, the mentor provides the Indigenous Australian Apprentice with the chance to see a situation from a fresh and different perspective, perhaps for the first time. If this sharing is accomplished without imposing values upon the Australian Apprentice , it can have a positive and lasting effect upon the Australian Apprentice and the relationship.

How does the mentor address differences in social status, economic background, race, and other real differences between mentor and the Indigenous Asutralian Apprentice?

Sometimes these differences can raise particularly difficult problems for developing a mentoring relationship. Even when mentor and Australian Apprentice are both Indigenous, it cannot be assumed that the mentor knows what the Australian Apprentice ’s values are. Because of other differences (eg. economic background/status, family background, education) the mentor and Australian Apprentice will have very differing values.

However, the existence of such differences does not necessarily diminish the quality of the mentoring relationship. The differences may act as a positive, by allowing the parties to learn about one another and build an understanding of the longer term values associated with employment, careers and financial security.

How can you use mentoring to make a difference in your organisation?

Mentoring is widely seen as an important ingredient in achieving successful outcomes for Indigenous Australians in the Australian Apprenticeship system.

It is likely that Indigenous Australian Apprentices will require support in the:


•	recruitment stage - they may not be adequately prepared for direct entry into a structured training programme.

•	formal training stage - they may have difficulty with aspects of the learning.

•	work-based stage - they may require help in adjusting to the requirements of regular attendance and establishing effective working relationships.

•	transition from training to an ongoing working role - they may need to explore and revise their attitudes and values associated with work, careers and financial security.

You can use the resources in this Topic to build the understanding and capability of your organisation and staff in developing and delivering a mentoring service to Indigenous Australian Apprentices. For example, you could use the resource:


•	as a source of information about mentoring that will help your staff to better engage with Indigenous Australian Apprentices

We have suggested some other references so that you can expand your knowledge base. See the last page in this Topic.

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to develop some strategies for using mentoring services that are relevant to your situation.

We have presented case studies that demonstrate how other providers have put innovative strategies into place in different contexts:

•	a large AAC has engaged an external facilitator to develop mentoring capability in their urban and regional branch network
•	a AAC with a large and remote coverage has built mentoring capability in some remote Indigenous communities
•	a GTO with branches in four states uses sporting personalities as role models and mentors

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to build the capability in your own staff through the delivery of a structured learning programme. You could use the information provided to help you develop your own training programme or you could engage the services of an external facilitator.

º	We have provided an outline of a training programme that you could adopt or adapt to suit your situation.
º	Note that a key ingredient to a successful programme is the development of case studies/scenarios that allow trainees to address real issues in their context. One way to achieve this is to ask the trainees to identify issues that they have found challenging and use these as ‘special ideas’ in the training.

Not sure about setting up and implementing a mentoring program?

You could adapt the following checklist. It is unlikely that all of the steps will be relevant to your situation.

Formation of a mentoring co-ordination committee

•	Determine /clarify reasons for implementing a mentoring programme and an Indigenous specific mentoring programme.
•	Determine if your organisation has sufficient qualified staff resources to implement an appropriate mentoring process. If not, seek support from an appropriate Indigenous consultant.
•	Gain permission to form a small mentoring co-ordination committee to plan implement and evaluate the programme.
•	Identify key personnel for your mentoring committee. Consider including an Indigenous recruitment expert, a diversity expert, and an experienced Indigenous staff member or consultant.

Preparation and development of the Programme

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Draw up a project plan allocating tasks and timeframes to committee members.

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Use the project plan to seek budget approval for project and permission to proceed.

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Determine the issues that impact on recruitment and retention of employees. Include Indigenous-specific issues.

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Determine how you can best provide mentor support to Australian Apprentice during their apprenticeship.

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In consultation with stakeholders determine the structure and scope of the Mentoring Programme, specifically:

º	type of scheme: informal, formal, enhanced informal, or enhanced formal. We recommend enhanced formal (and culturally sensitive for Indigenous Australian Apprentices) for the term of their employment.
º	role clarification for mentor, Australian Apprentices, supervisors, co-ordinator and other work team members
º	resources, time/dollars to be expended per Australian Apprentice , etc.
º	marketing/promotional strategy.

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Organise cross-cultural communication skills training for all participants.

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Produce or purchase training guides/kits for mentors and Australian Apprentices.

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Finalise all documentation, promotional material, application forms, etc., and organise printing.

Implementing the program

•	Organise a formal launch of project at appropriate time and venue with appropriate people invited.
•	Match mentors with Australian Apprentices.
•	Conduct orientation and training on mentoring, using guides.
•	Conduct cultural awareness training.
•	Follow up each participant to gain feedback on launch, training, and clarify any concerns about who they are matched with, etc.
•	Evaluate reaction to launch and training and kits guides, etc.
•	Re-match pairs if required.
•	Spread best practice ideas as appropriate.

Evaluating the program

•	Arrange for the co-ordinator to follow up Australian Apprentices for monthly feedback through out the program.
•	Conduct formal evaluation of all participants (mentor, trainers, supervisors, co-ordinator, other work team members) at six-month intervals.

CASE STUDY

Using Mentoring to Retain Indigenous Australian Apprentices

Indigenous Employment Specialists (IES) Pty Ltd, a small Canberra-based company, provides employment and mentoring support services to a range of public and private sector organisations throughout Australia. The mentoring services include:

•	provision of trained mentors to employers on a fee-for-service basis
•	training of in-house staff to provide mentoring support capability.

The outline of a two-week training program on the following page is an example of a corporate programme developed for a AAC client.

IES contact: John Jeffery
Email: johnjeffery.ies@bigpond.com.au

An Example of a Mentoring Training Programme that is helping to recruit and retain Indigenous Australian Apprentices

Week 1

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	IntroductionsIce Breaker	Understanding the VET sector and the needs of employers	MBTI workshop	Negotiation, conflict resolution, problem solving and mediation for mentors
	Morning tea	Morning tea	Morning tea	Morning tea
	Role of a mentor	Understanding the VET sector and the needs of employers	Cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills workshop	Negotiation, conflict resolution, problem solving and mediation for mentors. Managing change as a mentor
	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
	Role of a mentor	Resources available to assist Indigenous people. Resources available to retain Indigenous people in employment	Cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills workshop	Managing change as a mentor
	Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea
	Role of a mentor	Resources available to assist Indigenous people. Resources available to retain Indigenous people in employment	Cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills workshop	Managing change as a mentor

Week 2

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Learning Styles	NetworkingSetting up a mentor programme	Mentor role plays	Ethics/Privacy Mentor scenarios
Morning tea	Morning tea	Morning tea	Morning tea
Contributing to your personal skills development and learning	Identification of mentee issues/conflictsStrategies for dealing with issues/ conflicts	Mentor role plays	Selling yourself as a mentor
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
Contributing to your personal skills development and learning	Structure of mentor interview	Mentor role plays	Selling yourself as a mentor
Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea	Afternoon tea
Problem solving	Tools for mentors Preparing for mentor role plays	Mentor role plays	Selling yourself as a mentorFinal assessments

DETAAC ‘The Way Ahead for Aboriginal People’

The NSW Department of Education and Training Australian Apprenticeships Centre (DETAAC) has a vision to increase the number of Aboriginal people taking up apprenticeships and traineeships in urban and regional areas and to improve retention rates for Aboriginal apprentices and trainees. ‘The Way Ahead for Aboriginal People’ is an initiative developed in order to achieve this objective. DETAAC aims at reaching as many Aboriginal people and potential employers in NSW as possible.

DETAAC launched the initiative in August 2004 in the Aboriginal section of the NSW Art Gallery (called ‘Yiribana’). The launch opened with a Welcome to Country and Aboriginal dancers. Local Aboriginal community elders and community members, potential employers as well as employers who are already involved and industry groups attended. DETAAC also involved Aboriginal people who have successfully completed apprenticeships and have a story to tell, as well as some high profile Aboriginal ambassadors who were able to spark the interest of young people and attract media attention to the cause. The DETAAC ambassadors for The Way Ahead are well-known entertainer Jimmy Little, Rhoda Roberts, writer, performer, journalist and artistic director, and Bo de la Cruz, national women’s touch football champion. Previous Training Award winners in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander category were also invited.

DETAAC aims to improve the retention rate of Aboriginal people in employment through three programmes:


•	A mentor programme – DETAAC has contracted Indigenous Employment Specialists (IES) to train mentors from across NSW who will provide a support service to DETAAC Aboriginal apprentices and trainees in their local areas. The programme is ‘mentoring for retention’ and aims to address issues as they arise thereby also assisting the employer. The first mentor programme was conducted in Dubbo in November 2004.

•	Pre-employment and pre-vocational courses – DETAAC is providing generic pre-employment courses and industry specific pre-employment courses across NSW. The first pre-employment course was conducted in Griffith in November 2004, and three individuals were placed in local employment as a result with a number of others being taken on for work experience. A Tyre-fitting/Wheel Alignment pre-vocational course will be run in Dubbo in early 2005 with a Chainsaw Operation and Maintenance course also to be run in 2005.

•	A Leadership programme – 40 Aboriginal apprentices and trainees who are registered with DETAAC will attend the NSW Sport and Recreation venue at Milson Island in February 2005 for four days of activities designed to develop leadership, initiative, goal-setting and team-work. DETAAC plans to host these programs regularly to help broaden the outlook of individuals and develop new Aboriginal leaders in the community.

Property Services Training Company – Indigenous mentoring

The Sydney-based Property Services Training Company (PSTC) is a group training company that employs trainees in the three eastern mainland states. TSTC has a strong commitment to the development of Indigenous Australians. The company employs an Indigenous mentor, who is a licensed security guard. Working on a one-to-one basis with the company’s Indigenous trainees, the mentor seeks to establish a close relationship that is based on mutual trust and understanding, especially given the stressful situations security guards often encounter on trains and at airports. With widespread Indigenous community and sporting links, the mentor has been a fruitful source of new recruits, to the point where, nowadays, Indigenous people are approaching the company directly. Before operating in the field, all trainees undergo three weeks training to obtain a Security licence. Indigenous trainees also participate in an in-house pre-vocational (or job readiness) course to help smooth the transition to the world of security work.

www.pstrain.com.au (click on 'PSTC’ in navigation menu)

AFL SportsReady – Using Indigenous role models and mentors

AFL SportsReady is a group training company established by the Australian Football League to provide young people with meaningful workplace opportunities. AFL SportsReady in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria uses successful sporting personalities as role models and mentors to encourage young Indigenous trainees to succeed in Australian Apprenticeships. It has a commitment to growing Indigenous Australian Apprenticeships, including with sporting organisations. Almost 20 percent of the 400 trainees employed by the company around Australia are young Indigenous men and women.

AFL SportsReady’s commitment to Indigenous Australian Apprenticeships is expressed in the vision of its Indigenous Employment Programme: ‘to inspire extraordinary futures and empower young Indigenous Australians by creating ongoing employment opportunities through traineeships’. The vision includes a cross-cultural awareness resource that educates and informs host employers of Indigenous history and culture and the benefits of Indigenous traineeships.

afl.com.au (search for 'SportsReady')

REFERENCES

Clutterback, David. (1991) Everyone needs a mentor: fostering talent at work, London Institute of Personnel Management

American Society for Training and Development. (1986) Design Productive Mentoring Programs, Info-Line #609, Alexandria, Va

Bell, C.R. (1996) Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Phillips-Jones, L. (1997) What Every Manager Should Know about Mentoring: Your Three Mentoring Roles to Help Employees Excel, CCC, 13560 Mesa Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95949, (530) 268-1146

Phillip-Jones, L. (1995) Strategies for Getting the Mentoring You Need: A Look at Best Practices of Successful Mentees, CCC, 13560 Mesa Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95949, (530) 268-1146

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