Effective mentoring, pastoral care and support for apprentices and trainees in group training

This research investigates mentoring practices employed by group training organisations (GTOs) within the Australian Group Training network. Three key research questions inform this research: What types of mentoring support is typically extended to apprentices and trainees when employed under current group training arrangements? Are different mentoring strategies used for different constituent groups of apprentices and trainees? How might effective mentoring strategies be defined and improved in the future? The methodology for this project involved four stages: scoping and understanding the key concepts for examination; mapping mentoring terrain; quantifying mentoring practice; and case studies in practice. Key findings include: overall, mentoring is supported and practised broadly across the GTO network; GTOs understand mentoring in a holistic manner; and increasing commercial pressures have the potential to threaten the quality of training and support provided by GTOs to apprentices and trainees. Key messages from the research are that: GTOs provide a ‘risk management’ function in the vocational education and training system; mentoring is part of an integrated service model delivered by GTOs; selection and recruitment is used as a ‘mentoring strategy’, although GTOs also support disadvantaged learners; GTOs are often filling the ‘mentoring breach’ left by host employers; and mentoring is not a fix-all strategy to increase completion rates.

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