Mentoring programmes as a talent management strategies in companies?

• 84% of professionals surveyed said that mentoring programmes are important to career development.
• However, just 38% of employers offer mentoring programmes.
• Just 9% of employers connect staff with an external mentor, despite 62% of professionals saying that these programmes are important to career success.

Research from Robert Walters has found that almost three quarters 84% of professionals believe that mentoring programmes are important to achieving career success. However, just 38% of employers offer these programmes to their staff. For many professionals the opportunity to connect to a mentor from another organisation is extremely appealing, offering them new insights and opportunities.

Despite the high levels of demand for mentoring programmes among professionals, relatively few employers are choosing to implement them despite the impact they can have on attracting top calibre professionals.  

Nick Dunnett, Managing Director Switzerland and Germany comments: “Career development is a consistently high priority for professionals, particularly those from the Millennial generation, and mentoring programmes are among the most popular strategies for helping them to realise their ambitions.”

“However, despite high demand for these programmes, relatively few employers have implemented them.”

“Given how popular such strategies are with jobseeking professionals, employers may be missing a valuable opportunity to attract top talent by failing to offer mentoring programmes.”

EXTERNAL MENTORING PROGRAMMES CAN HELP EMPLOYERS STAND OUT                                                            

The research also questioned professionals on which types of mentoring programmes they considered most valuable, with 63% saying that the opportunity to connect with a mentor outside the company was important to them.

However, the research also showed that just 9% of employers offered staff the chance to connect with a mentor outside the company.

Christian Atkinson, Director continues: “For many professionals the opportunity to connect to a mentor from another organisation is extremely appealing, offering them new insights and opportunities.”

“For employers, these external mentoring programmes can also be valuable. By having senior staff volunteer as mentors for external programmes can be a highly effective way to raise the profile of your organisation, enhancing your reputation and demonstrating to potential candidates that your company is committed to helping professionals develop their career.”