Training and mentoring form a powerful combination for embedding skills. When carried out by trained tutors, tutoring helps to structure support and practical application, to foster independence more quickly and to strengthen the impact of training programmes. When managed effectively, it also becomes a communication asset internal, promoting continuous learning and enhancing the image of training. But, in practical terms, how should this be done? Insights from Julie Garnier, a certified coach and trainer.
There is often a gap between training and the actual mastery of a skill: the gap between theory and practice. Understanding a method does not necessarily mean knowing how to apply it in real-life situations, with their constraints, unforeseen circumstances and professional conventions.
This is where mentoring plays a crucial role. It supports the transition from theoretical learning to practical application, by providing a safe space for initial experiences, offering feedback and helping the employee to gradually become more independent. However, to achieve these results, mentoring must be viewed as a fully-fledged programme in its own right, rather than simply as informal support. It requires a framework, objectives, dedicated time for discussion, monitoring tools and mentors who are properly prepared for their role.
The benefits of structured tutoring
Have you ever been in that situation?
An employee who is confident in training but struggles in the field?
A tutor who is an expert in their field but struggles to explain their methods?
A keen tutor who can’t find the time to support their tutee?
A student who doesn’t dare ask questions?
In such situations, structured tutoring, with well-trained tutors and a suitable environment, can make all the difference.
When the mentoring scheme is well-structured and monitored over time, its effects can be observed at various levels.
| For the student | For the guardian | For the company |
| Putting the skills learnt during training into practice | Making the most of expertise and know-how | More lasting retention of skills |
| Support during initial real-world work situations | Development of teaching, interpersonal and feedback skills | Easier onboarding of new staff |
| Regular feedback and adjustments to working practices | Taking a step back to reflect on one’s own professional practices | Transfer of technical and tacit knowledge |
| A gradual increase in independence | Developing the ability to explain and communicate | Developing a culture of learning and collaboration |
| A better understanding of the expectations, standards and unspoken codes of the workplace | Active involvement in the development of in-house skills | Consolidation and formalisation of professional practices |
| Building confidence and a sense of security | Greater recognition and commitment to the role of passing on knowledge | Reducing the time taken to acquire skills and settle into the role |
These results can also be utilised in internal communications by drawing on appropriate indicators.
Why is training alone not always enough?
Training enables people to acquire guidelines, methods or knowledge. However, it does not, on its own, guarantee that skills will be applied consistently in real-life situations.
When it is structured and integrated into training, mentoring creates the conditions for transforming what has been learnt in training into skills that can be applied in the workplace. It extends the training into real-life work situations, empowering the trainee to take an active role in their own learning and providing gradual support as they put skills into practice, adapt them and make them their own.
How does mentoring help learners to internalise the skills they have learnt following a training course?
Here are some points to consider.
Mentoring to turn work situations into learning opportunities
Mentoring enables learning in a work context through tailored support and the practical application of what has been learnt. A situation becomes a learning opportunity when it is linked to learning objectives, when the mentor explains the relevant practices, and when there are opportunities to reflect on the experience.
The tutor encourages the learner to try things out, observes them, provides feedback and encourages reflection on their actions in order to develop the learner’s skills in the long term.
In some programmes, this learning takes the form of an AFEST (work-based training initiative), which involves a preliminary analysis of the activity, a designated mentor, organised role-plays, reflective phases, documentation of the learning journey and an assessment of what has been learnt. Mentoring may form part of this, but not all mentoring constitutes an AFEST.
Learning from experience through tutoring
Taking a step back plays a central role in experiential learning. According to the Kolb cycle, the training takes place in 4 stages :
- firstly, to have a hands-on experience
- then, observe and analyse the situation as it unfolds
- but also to learn from it
- finally, applying what you’ve learnt to new situations
The mentor supports the mentee at every stage.
[Practical example] How does a work situation become a learning situation?
When the mentor supports sales advisers in the field – whether they are on the road, working from a desk on the phone or at a point of sale – the days are planned in advance. Each coaching session includes specific learning objectives, follow-up points, pre-defined work scenarios, as well as skills assessment grids and reflective analysis exercises.
Starting point
During their first visits to clients, new sales advisers lack a thorough understanding of product features, but tend to rush to propose a solution before they have fully explored the client’s needs. When faced with an objection, they therefore do not always manage to provide the most appropriate response, nor even to defend their margin with a relevant and confident sales pitch.
Review with the tutor
At the end of the visit, the mentor helps them analyse the situation by asking a few key questions:
Tutor: What was the purpose of this visit?
Advisor: Understand the customer’s needs and offer them a suitable solution.
Tutor: How did you find that situation?
Advisor: I felt at ease at first, but then I felt thrown off balance when the client raised a price objection.
Tutor: What went well?
Advisor: I managed to make contact and present the products clearly.
Tutor: What could you have done differently?
Advisor: I proposed a solution too quickly, without exploring the client’s needs in sufficient depth. When the client raised a price objection, I thoughtlessly adjusted my price to match the client’s estimate.
Tutor: If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
Advisor: I would ask more questions and clarify the requirements before submitting a proposal, having first prepared the sales pitch and set a specific sales target.
The counsellor identifies for themselves what they have achieved, the skills they still need to develop, and what they will put into practice during the next session. In this way, they take an active role in their own progress.
Put into practice
During subsequent visits, the adviser takes more time to ask the client questions, clarify their needs and tailor their pitch before proposing a solution.
Results
- Greater proficiency in handling objections
- Solutions better tailored to the customer’s needs
- A greater ability to take a step back from one’s practice, to identify what has worked and to replicate it during subsequent visits
- Greater autonomy and trust in customer relations
Julien Billerach, trainer, Würth France Training
Mentoring to facilitate learning through interactions and in the workplace
Mentoring also facilitates «situated» learning. In other words, skills are acquired in the context in which they are used, through social interactions and practices directly linked to the job. The trainee learns about the organisation’s culture and unspoken norms. If they are new to the organisation, mentoring plays an important role in their professional socialisation, their integration into the team and the development of their professional identity.
Learning becomes more meaningful when it is linked to real-life work situations.
This work-based learning is based on gradual involvement in professional activities. The trainee often begins by observing, working in pairs or carrying out certain tasks with support, before gradually taking on a more independent role within the team.
From the transfer of knowledge to the acquisition of skills: key points to remember
Tutoring helps learners to consolidate the skills they have learnt during a training course, as it enables them to experiential, context-based and progressive learning.
The mentor is a practising professional who is in close contact with the realities of the workplace, as they are directly involved in the work.
The employee receiving mentoring learns how to act, with whom, in what context and in accordance with what codes of conduct.
Training and mentoring therefore complement each other: training provides guidelines, methods, models and a framework, whilst mentoring enables these to be put into practice in real-life work situations.
Mentoring links learning to day-to-day activities, professional interactions and real-world situations.
Why train tutors?
You cannot simply wing it when it comes to being a tutor. It requires a specific approach, methods and tools.
When mentoring goes wrong: pitfalls to watch out for
- A misunderstanding of the role of the mentor and its limitations in relation to that of the manager
- Difficulties in communicating or explaining certain practices
- Lack of objectivity in the assessment
- Communication difficulties
- Support that is not sufficiently structured
Training tutors helps to prevent some of these pitfalls by providing them with the necessary guidance to:
- to gain a better understanding of the tutor’s role
- develop andragogical and interpersonal skills
- structuring support and learning
Understanding the role of the tutor
Mentoring is neither simply the role of a manager, nor that of a trainer, nor that of a mentor or a coach. It actually involves a specific approach and specific responsibilities.
The tutor’s role is therefore to:
- to welcome and facilitate the employee’s integration
- support learning in the workplace
- to pass on skills
- to help people understand the working environment, the unwritten rules and how the organisation operates
- monitor the employee’s progress
- to contribute to the assessment of prior learning
- to promote independence
- act as a link between the team, the company and, in some cases, the training organisation
Developing andragogical and interpersonal skills
Without support or preparation, tutoring often relies on implicit and loosely structured practices, which can limit the quality of learning.
The training therefore helps the tutor to:
- understanding how adults learn
- turning work situations into learning opportunities
- structuring a learning pathway
- to explain practices that have, in some cases, become second nature
- to support reflective analysis and self-assessment
- tailor support methods to the needs, profiles and learning styles of the people being supported
- gradually adapt the level of support provided to the level of independence and progress of the person being supported
The training teaches the mentor how to gradually guide the mentee towards greater independence, so that they can understand, analyse and adapt their practices on their own.
It also helps to develop the interpersonal skills that are essential for creating a safe learning environment: building trust, encouraging questions, practising active listening and giving feedback.
These practices support employees’ development, their integration into the team and their sense of competence, belonging and autonomy. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan), these three dimensions foster motivation and commitment to learning and work.
To acquire tools and methods for structuring support over time
The training provides tutors with guidelines, methods and tools to:
- prepare for the arrival of the mentee
- to welcome and integrate new arrivals
- set progressive targets
- identify situations conducive to learning
- organise opportunities for discussion
- to monitor the progress of the person being mentored and make their learning more visible
- to assess the knowledge and skills acquired
[Testimonial]
«Training Becoming a company tutor helped me to better structure the support I provided to the work-study student, in particular by setting up a feedback session at the end of each work placement, combined with an assessment grid that allowed me to track their progress from one placement to the next. The work-study student gave me positive feedback on these progress reviews, which provided them with clarity on their achievements and on what was expected of them for the following period.»
Communications Manager, Work-based Tutor
The tools used at Würth France to organise the tutoring
| Tool / document | Usefulness in tutoring |
| Induction Handbook (initial induction programme) | Plan the induction and the initial stages of skills development in modules. Organise the mentor’s activities, training sessions, on-the-job support (AFEST), interviews and assessments. |
| Job descriptions, competency frameworks | Define the required skills, set learning objectives and structure the training programmes. |
| Breakdown of skills and abilities | Structuring learning pathways. |
| Matrices for categorising work situations | «Put the work situation through the mill», analyse the tasks carried out in detail and identify the skills required. |
| Educational staircase, teaching scenario and monitoring guide | Structuring training and learning over time: modules and sessions, materials, resources, organisation… |
| Induction schedule, progress log and regular reviews/meetings | Organise long-term support, monitor progress and adjust the programme where necessary. |
| Reflective analysis frameworks based on the question «If I had to do it again…» | To analyse real-life situations, put one’s experience into words, take a step back from one’s practice and gain a broader perspective on one’s own training and skills development. |
| Report on the mentee’s surprise | To share their views on their integration, the difficulties they have faced, any misunderstandings, or anything that has surprised them. |
| End-of-course documents and immediate/delayed assessments | Gather feedback on the training, identify any gaps and adjust the support provided. |
[Testimonial]
«Sometimes, these tools have enabled me to identify theoretical models for things I was already doing intuitively. They allow me to refine an existing practice, to clarify it further, to redirect it, to redefine it or to reorient it. It is also a form of self-correction of one’s actions or way of operating.»
Julien Billerach, Trainer, Würth France Training
Why train tutors?
Without a formal framework, mentoring often relies on informal knowledge transfer, based on existing practices that are simply replicated without being questioned. This approach may work, but it leaves much unsaid and leaves little scope for analysis (particularly reflective analysis) or adjustment.
Training enables us, first and foremost, to understand the mechanisms of learning and to organise the teaching of skills more effectively. It provides guidelines for developing structured, progressive and tailored learning pathways.
It also helps to distinguish between skills and abilities. Using the learning ladder and assessment grids, the tutor can organise the development of skills, monitor the learner’s progress, conduct follow-up interviews, assess what has been learnt and adapt their support.
Finally, the training provides tutors with a clearer framework for better understanding interpersonal relationships, adjusting their approach and communication style, and developing skills in active listening, giving feedback and self-regulation. In my case, it also provided an opportunity to take a step back from my own practices, to question them and to develop them further.
Julien Billerach, Trainer, Würth France Training
The training enables the mentor to develop the skills required for their role. However, the company must also create a favourable environment : choose a tutor who is available, ensure they have time to support the mentee and review real-life situations, clarify the relationship with the manager, and set objectives and monitoring tools. The scheme then gains credibility as the mentees’ progress becomes easier to observe and recognise within the organisation.
How to make the most of mentoring in the context of in-house training marketing
To turn tutoring into a tool for internal training marketing, the company must:
- organise the scheme
- to monitor the effects
- identify results that could be put to good use
The example of Würth France illustrates how training, on-the-job support and certification can be integrated, whilst enabling the development of career paths and outcomes that the company can highlight internally.
[Practical example] A Structured mentoring to support continuing professional development
At Würth France, mentoring forms part of the continuous professional development policy. Integrated into the induction and professional development programmes, it complements theoretical training with on-the-job support and regular assessments, for both new employees and those seeking to develop their careers.
What has been put in place
- A structured induction programme, formalised in a Passbook, lasting between three days and two weeks depending on the department, followed by a 10- to 12-month training and professional development programme
- Tutoring integrated into professional development programmes, institutionalised and funded by sector-specific schemes and OPCO AKTO
- Training for tutors and apprenticeship supervisors
- Integration of theoretical input, practical mentoring and AFEST
- Structured learning pathway: assessment, theoretical training, supervised practice, independent practice, followed by skills assessment
- Monitoring tools, timetables and pre-arranged meetings to support long-term progress
- Pathways leading to CQP qualifications in sales and team management, to recognise and recognise the value of the skills acquired
Some key figures on the resources deployed
- Field sales advisers: 6 training sessions, totalling 140 hours, and 6 coaching sessions, totalling approximately 100 hours, involving around 20 observed situations
- In-store sales advisers: 70 hours of product training, 28 hours of sales techniques training and 50 hours of on-the-job training with support
These figures highlight the investment made in training and support.
Results observed
- Enhanced staff integration and retention, against a backdrop where the staff turnover rate has fallen from 30 % to 10 % over 15 years
- Career paths enhanced by CQP qualifications, promoting internal progression
- A culture of knowledge-sharing: trained staff in turn become mentors
- Training that is valued within the organisation, strengthening the employer brand and facilitating the roll-out of the scheme to other entities within the group
«I’m training you so that you, in turn, can train others. That is the ultimate aim of training.»
Julien Billerach, Trainer, Würth France Training
This example highlights several outcomes that can be monitored and capitalised on. More broadly, the organisation can draw on various indicators to objectively assess the impact of mentoring.
Some indicators for objectively assessing the effects of tutoring
To identify the most relevant indicators, the company can start by asking questions such as:
| Questions to ask yourself | Examples of indicators |
| What progress have you noticed in the student you are tutoring? | – Increasing independence – Time required to become operational |
| What changes do you see in his practices? | – Quality of practices – Reducing errors or difficulties |
| What impact have you noticed on his integration and career progression? | – Integration into the team – Successful completion of professional development programmes or certification – Internal development |
| What impact have you observed on the business? | – Integration costs – Customer retention or churn rate – Employee satisfaction |
Mentoring reduces the time taken to become self-sufficient by 30 %, the contract termination rate by 47 % and the onboarding cost by 28 %.
Source : CCI France, certification specification «Acting as a mentor in a company», published in the France Compétences Specific Register.
These elements may be highlighted in HR communications, internal newsletters, the intranet and induction programmes, by highlighting:
- testimonials and feedback
- progression pathway
- in-house tutors and experts
- sharing best practice
- successful integration programmes
- internal developments
- support and skills development schemes
Ultimately, mentoring helps to make continuous learning more tangible, visible and embedded within the organisation. By promoting the transfer of knowledge, support, the sharing of experience and skills development, it contributes to the development of a learning organisation. In this way, the organisation demonstrates that it is investing in the development of its teams and in the collective upskilling of its workforce, which can help to strengthen staff engagement, recognise the value of experienced employees, facilitate the integration of new recruits, and enhance the appeal and credibility of in-house training programmes.
