Mentoring Practices in Europe and North America: Strategies for Improving Immigrants' Employment Outcomes

This study presents a number of promising mentoring and job coaching initiatives from Europe and North America, with a case study of the Belgian context. Mentoring -- an experienced individual coaching or advising a more junior partner or peer -- is increasingly recognised in Europe as a tool for advancing the labour market integration of disadvantaged individuals. However, the scope, methods, and sustainability of mentoring efforts vary widely by national and local context, and depend on a variety of actors and conditions. The mapping inspired the King Baudouin Foundation to launch a call for projects on mentoring to work in Belgium.

• Strategic collaboration: The multistakeholder approach While in practice, many mentoring and employment-facilitating initiatives are developed and implemented by civil society organisations, getting the government and private sector on board are defining elements for their success and survival. Tweet
• Sustainability, funding, and long-term vision: Having sustainable core funding is crucial for operating effectively and in the long run. Mentoring practices are rarely inherent to structural mainstream policies. They are almost always remedial, add-on programmes, targeting those who fall through the net of generic service provisions. This places a significant burden on the very existence and survival of mentoring programmes. Tweet
• Changing the mindset: The most challenging and least malleable or predictable element for effective labour market insertion programmes is to have all participating stakeholders pull in the same direction. Tweet
• Having clear benchmarks and ensuring comprehensive evaluation: Finally, having clear objectives is quintessential for an effective mentoring programme. This implies envisaging the ultimate goals of the programme itself (for example, expanding the mentee's socioprofessional network, building self-confidence, developing cognitive and social skills, or obtaining sustainable employment), as well as a clear definition of the target groups involved (such as low-skilled or immigrant youth, immigrant women, highly skilled immigrants, or refugees) and the type of mentors that fit them best (such as retired or active senior professionals, or peer professionals). Tweet