Mentor Training Programme

Train confident, effective and inclusive workplace mentors with our mentor training toolkit.

The ELIS Advantage Inclusive Mentor Training Programme provides organisations with everything required to customise and deliver structured mentor training internally.

This complete, evidence-informed programme combines practical training, clear mentoring frameworks, participant resources and implementation guidance to help employees develop the confidence and capability to become effective workplace mentors.

The programme supports mentoring that is intentional, ethical, inclusive and sustainable, while helping organisations create greater consistency in how mentoring is understood and practised.

Designed for HR, People & Culture, Learning and Development, Organisational Development, talent development and leadership teams, the programme is available as a complete DIY package or with a private implementation consultation from the ELIS Advantage team.

Choose the option that fits your Organisation:

DIY Inclusive Mentor
Training Programme
€795 plus VAT

Develop mentoring capability without creating a programme from the beginning

Organisations often recognise the value of mentoring but lack the time, resources or specialist expertise required to develop high-quality mentor training internally.

What the programme helps your organisation achieve

  • Introduce ethical sponsorship as part of mentor development

  • Support reflection, learning and continuous improvement

  • Deliver mentor training without designing a programme from the beginning

FARR Diagram

A visual model supporting mentors to structure reflection, learning and action within mentoring conversations.

DIY Programme with
ELIS Advantage Implementation
Consultation €1,495 plus VAT

A complete, ready-to-deliver mentor training programme

The programme includes 16 practical resources to support preparation, delivery, learning
and organisational implementation.

Materials are provided in editable Microsoft Word and PowerPoint formats, alongside a visual diagram,
allowing organisations to adapt the programme to their language, context and branding.

Core Training and Facilitation Material

Mentoring Development Programme Presentation

A complete PowerPoint training programme designed for internal organisational delivery.

The programme introduces participants to effective mentoring, mentoring roles, practical mentoring skills, relationship boundaries, inclusion and ethical practice.

Facilitator Guide

A structured guide to help internal facilitators prepare for and deliver the programme confidently and consistently.

The Expertise of the Mentor

A dedicated resource exploring the mentor’s expertise, contribution and responsibilities within the relationship.

Appreciative Enquiry Model for Mentoring Conversations

A practical model to help mentors structure developmental conversations around strengths, possibilities, learning and purposeful action.

DIY Programme with ELIS Advantage Implementation Consultation

The consultation creates dedicated space to explore how the programme can be applied within your organisation’s particular context.

This option is designed for organisations that want the flexibility of a DIY programme alongside specialist guidance and critical reflection.

€1,495 plus VAT

Mentors may volunteer with positive intentions but receive limited guidance on:

  • What mentoring involves

  • What sits outside the mentoring role

  • How to establish an effective mentoring relationship

  • How to structure developmental conversations

  • How to listen and ask useful questions

  • How to give feedback

  • How to manage boundaries and confidentiality

  • How identity, power and difference can influence the relationship

  • How mentoring differs from coaching, sponsorship and performance management

  • How to use influence responsibly through ethical sponsorship

The Inclusive Mentor Training Programme gives organisations a ready-to-deliver training programme and practical supporting resources, reducing the time and cost involved in developing materials independently.

The programme supports organisations to:

  • Prepare employees to take on formal mentoring roles

  • Build stronger and more consistent mentoring capability

  • Create a shared understanding of effective mentoring

  • Clarify mentor and mentee roles and expectations

  • Reduce confusion between mentoring, coaching, sponsorship and management

  • Develop mentors’ listening, questioning and feedback skills

  • Improve the quality of mentoring conversations

  • Establish clearer boundaries and working agreements

  • Strengthen awareness of identity, power and difference

  • Embed equity and inclusion within mentoring practice

Key Features Overview

A concise A4 overview of the programme’s main features, benefits and organisational applications.

This can be adapted for internal proposals, programme communications, stakeholder briefings or participant recruitment.

Participant Workbook

A practical workbook that allows participants to engage with the programme content, complete activities, reflect on their practice and capture their learning.

Practical mentoring models and tools

Mentoring Process Table

A clear reference tool outlining the stages and processes involved in developing an effective mentoring relationship.

Internal Mentoring Working Agreement

A customisable agreement to help mentors and mentees establish shared expectations and ways of working.

It supports conversations about:

✓ The purpose of the relationship
✓ Roles and responsibilities
✓ Confidentiality
✓ Communication
✓ Boundaries
✓ Commitment
✓ Expectations
✓ Reviewing or ending the relationship

Mentee and reflection resources

Mentee Application

A structured application document to support mentee recruitment and preparation.

It helps prospective mentees identify their development priorities, consider their expectations and reflect on their readiness to participate.

Final Mentor Reflections

A structured resource that helps mentors review their experience, contribution, learning and continued development.

Final Mentee Reflections

A structured resource that helps mentees reflect on their experience, development, progress and learning from the mentoring relationship.

These reflection resources can also provide the organisation with useful qualitative insights for future programme development.

Organisational implementation resources

Implementation Guide

A practical guide for the HR, People, Learning and Development or programme lead responsible for introducing the mentor training programme.

The guide supports organisations to consider the programme’s purpose, intended participants, delivery, communication and wider implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions document

A customisable FAQ document that can be used to answer common questions from mentors, mentees, line managers and organisational stakeholders.

Disclaimer

A clear disclaimer that supports the appropriate use of the programme and clarifies the boundaries and limitations of mentoring.

Resource List

A supporting list of resources for continued learning and mentoring development.

Seven features of the Inclusive Mentor Training Programme

1. Clear, practical mentoring framework

Create consistency and reduce role confusion

The programme provides a shared language and structure for mentoring.

It clearly distinguishes mentoring from:

  1. Coaching

  2. Sponsorship

  3. Performance management

  4. Line management

  5. Informal advice and support

This creates clearer expectations and helps mentors understand the purpose, scope and boundaries of their role.

2. Embedded equity, inclusion and ethical sponsorship

Support fairer access to development and progression

Equity and inclusion are embedded within the programme rather than treated as an additional topic.

Participants explore how identity, power and difference can influence mentoring relationships, access to support and development opportunities.

Mentors also consider how they can use their visibility, networks, influence and organisational knowledge responsibly through ethical sponsorship, particularly when supporting people from underrepresented groups.

3. Skill-based and practice-focused learning

Develop mentoring confidence through application

The programme focuses on practical mentoring capability rather than passive learning.

Participants explore and apply core mentoring skills, including:

  1. Active listening

  2. Effective questioning

  3. Appreciative enquiry

  4. Reflection

  5. Feedback

  6. Goal-setting

  7. Development planning

  8. Managing boundaries

  9. Navigating challenge and difference

The emphasis is on reflection, experimentation, application and continuous improvement, rather than academic instruction.

4. Supporting resources for organisational implementation

Move beyond one-off mentor training

The programme includes practical supporting materials to help organisations introduce, communicate and implement the training internally.

The Implementation Guide, FAQ document, Mentee Application, Working Agreement and reflection resources help connect the training to the organisation’s wider mentoring activity.

5. Flexible and white-label ready

Adapt the programme to your organisation

The programme materials are provided in customisable formats.

Organisations can adapt:

  1. Branding

  2. Language

  3. Examples

  4. Organisational terminology

  5. Participant communications

  6. Delivery format

  7. Programme length

This allows the programme to reflect the organisation’s context while retaining the integrity of the core mentoring framework.

6. Evidence-informed without being over-academic

Balance credibility with accessibility

The programme draws on established mentoring research and good practice while remaining practical, relevant and user-friendly.

Research informs the design without overwhelming participants or facilitators with unnecessary theory.

7. Scalable and sustainable

Build internal mentoring capability over time

The programme can be delivered to an initial group of mentors before being adapted and repeated across other teams, departments or locations.

Organisations can use the same structured programme to build consistent mentoring capability over time without repeatedly commissioning new training or creating new materials.

Benefits to your organisation

The Inclusive Mentor Training Programme can support:

  • Stronger and more consistent mentoring capability

  • Increased mentor confidence

  • Clearer mentor and mentee expectations

  • More purposeful mentoring conversations

  • Improved listening, questioning and feedback skills

  • Greater awareness of boundaries and ethical practice

  • Increased fairness and transparency in mentoring

  • Stronger understanding of identity, power and difference

  • More responsible use of ethical sponsorship

  • Better preparation for mentors and mentees

  • Reduced reliance on informal or ad-hoc mentoring practices

  • A practical and repeatable approach to internal mentor development

  • Reduced time and cost associated with developing training internally

Who is the programme designed for?

The programme is suitable for:

  • HR and People & Culture teams

  • Learning and Development teams

  • Organisational Development professionals

  • Leadership and talent development teams

  • Equity, inclusion and belonging teams

  • Organisations preparing employees to become workplace mentors

  • Organisations introducing a formal mentoring initiative

  • Organisations refreshing existing mentor training

  • Leadership development programmes

  • Talent and progression initiatives

  • Employee development programmes

  • Graduate and emerging leader programmes

  • Professional bodies and membership organisations

  • Organisations seeking a structured and inclusive mentor development programme

Choose your Programme Option

The DIY package includes:

✓ Mentoring Development Programme PowerPoint

✓ Facilitator Guide

✓ Participant Workbook

✓ Appreciative Enquiry Model for Mentoring Conversations

✓ FARR Diagram

✓ Mentoring Process Table

✓ The Expertise of the Mentor

✓ Internal Mentoring Working Agreement

✓ Mentee Application

✓ Final Mentor Reflections

✓ Final Mentee Reflections

✓ Implementation Guide

✓ Frequently Asked Questions document

✓ Key Features overview

✓ Disclaimer

✓ Resource List

✓ Editable Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files

✓ White-label customisation rights

✓ Licence for internal delivery within one purchasing organisation


The complete programme and all 16 supporting resources, combined with personalised implementation guidance from the ELIS Advantage team.

✓ A pre-consultation implementation questionnaire

✓ A private 90-minute consultation with the ELIS Advantage team

✓ Guidance on adapting the programme to your organisation

✓ Discussion of your intended participants and outcomes

✓ Support with deciding the programme format and delivery approach

✓ Guidance on participant preparation

✓ Consideration of inclusion, accessibility and organisational context

✓ Discussion of mentoring roles, boundaries and expectations
✓ Guidance on connecting the training to your wider mentoring initiative

✓ Identification of potential implementation challenges

✓ A concise written summary of agreed priorities and next actions

Train mentors who can support people to perform and thrive

Effective mentoring requires more than positive intentions.

Mentors benefit from clear expectations, practical skills, ethical boundaries and opportunities to reflect on how identity, power and difference can shape the relationship.

The ELIS Advantage Inclusive Mentor Training Programme gives your organisation a complete and practical way to develop confident, capable and inclusive workplace mentors.

Rather than creating training materials from the beginning, your organisation receives a structured, evidence-informed and white-label-ready programme that can be customised and delivered internally.

Build mentoring capability that is intentional, ethical, inclusive and designed to last.

DIY Inclusive Mentor Training Programme

€795 plus VAT

The complete programme for organisations with the internal capacity and confidence to customise and deliver mentor training independently.

This option is designed for organisations that already have an internal facilitator, Learning and Development professional or programme lead who can customise and deliver the programme.

Frequently Asked Questions