Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy

Mentoring guide

www.regensw.co.uk

EWiRE

IntroductionThe EWiRE mentoring programme aims to draw out the entrepreneurial qualities that help women in the renewable energy industry to progress their careers. Women that become mentees will receive direct support to enhance their potential through their career choices and working practices. They will learn to develop their strategic and financial acumen and enhance their professional networks and profile.

Successful high profile role models are important in helping women reach senior positions. These women demonstrate that that there is no upper limit to what can be achieved, and bring to life what the empirical evidence shows; that companies value the contributions of women in senior positions and that more women on boards has a direct link to better business performance.

How to become a mentor We encourage both female and male mentors to apply to support the development of women mentees. If you feel you have something to offer and would like to talk this through, please contact Katrina Jackson, HR manager on 01392 494399 or email your expression of interest to kjackson@regensw.co.uk, outlining the support you would be able to offer and your relevant skills and experience.

How to become a menteeThe EWiRE initiative supports female mentees in the renewables sector. If you feel that you would benefit from having a mentor, please fill in the form outlining your career aspirations and return it to Katrina Jackson, as detailed above.

About EWiRE

Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy (EWiRE) aims to address the under-representation of women in our sector across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, particularly at senior levels, to ensure the sector is well placed to fulfil it’s potential.

Our aims are:

f to increase the visibility and profile of women working in sustainable energy businesses

f to increase the representation of women on boards and within senior management of sustainable energy SMEs

f to promote the attractiveness of working in the sustainable energy sector to encourage wider female participation.

EWiRE consists of a number of initiatives, including industry networking events, identifying opportunities to gain governance experience, telling inspiring stories of successful women in renewables and a training and mentoring programme for women entering the industry or who have ambitions to rise through the ranks.

Forty-four per cent of CEOs list mentoring programmes as one of the three most effective strategies to enhance women's advancement to senior management. Dr. Belle Ragins for Catalyst

Mentoring is when an individual offers to guide, help and provide direction to someone with their career or professional development.

Having a mentor can help to stimulate motivation, improve performance and support the career progression decisions of mentees. They can provide a mentee with a fresh perspective, the benefit of experience and a renewed sense of potential.

Mentoring can also give the mentor an opportunity for reflection and a sense of pride when their mentee achieves their goals. Mentors are able to improve their leadership, coaching, communication and management skills through this process and have a lot to offer, whatever stage of their career they are at. We expect in many cases people may choose to take a role as both a mentor and mentee in order to progress their own careers whilst at the same time helping others to follow in their footsteps.

The mentor will:

f actively listen, be a sounding board and collaboratively problem solve

f explain the role of the mentor and explore the expectations of the mentee

f be objective and non-judgmental, share experiences and give advice

f demonstrate a commitment to the development of their mentoring skills

f protect time allocated for mentoring sessions and any preparation required.

The mentee will:

f be open, honest and demonstrate a commitment to their own developmentf value their mentoring time by being prepared and thinking about their development

before the mentoring session f retain ownership of their own development and for producing their own action plan f take responsibility for making meeting arrangements and recording action points f be open to considering and discussing new ideas and committed to taking the

initiative in objectives that have been collectively agreed.

“Having a mentor has helped tremendously. Someone who is able to support and guide throughout your career. Someone credible who is able to back you up in various situations and give advice as you progress. Mentors need to be actively sought but do change as you progress through your career depending on what your goals are.”Jean Fiddes, Head of Solution & Value, Smart Metering Customer Programme, E.ON

See below the stages of the mentoring process:

¼We undertake the matching process on an ongoing basis once a quarter. We will match people based on aims, location, sector interest and compatible characteristics.

¼ Throughout the year we will run a series of formal and informal networking sessions that we plan to coincide with the matching process. Following the events, we will come back to you with some suggested matches.

¼Once the mentor and mentee have agreed they are happy with the match we will confirm details and you can progress with your first meeting.

¼We’re keen to capture the success and learning from the mentoring programme and will be in touch asking for feedback, quotes and case studies over time. We will also be here if you have any concerns or require additional guidance or support.

¼ The programme lasts for 12 months and should consist of a minimum of six sessions.

How mentoring can help you Matching

Establishing the ground rules

Ground rules are designed to help the mentor and mentee understand what to expect from the mentoring relationship and clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties. It is important for mentors and mentees to discuss and establish a framework within which to facilitate development.

During the initial meeting the scope of what will be discussed in the current and future meetings should be explored. Boundaries, confidentiality, the duration of sessions and what the process will be if there are any cancellations should also be discussed.

The mentoring meetings should be open, honest, supportive, non-judgmental and take place in a suitable location with no interruptions. Time should also be set aside to review discussions and undertake follow up at the end of each session.

Ending the mentoring relationship

Either party may dissolve the relationship as appropriate. Both parties are responsible for the smooth winding-down of the mentorship relationship once it has achieved its purpose. The mentor and mentee may decide to continue to work together, especially if the relationship has been productive and helpful to both. Regen SW should be kept informed of any changes or outcomes.

For more information go to: www.regensw.co.uk/our-work/creating-a-positive-environment/ewire

Establishing a successful relationship

It is recommended that the mentee make the initial contact with her mentor and provide the mentor with information such as areas of interest and any specific reasons for participating in the mentoring programme.

The EWIRE mentoring scheme is planned to be six meetings over a 12 month period. The first meeting should be in person and subsequent could be via skype or over the phone.

A great way to start is by setting goals and making an action plan. Setting objectives at the first meeting will give a framework for further meetings and can help focus on the overall desired outcome.

These questions can provide a basis for discussion during your initial interaction:

f What do you expect in a mentee or mentor?

f What are some specific objectives you wish to achieve through this relationship?

f What knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by your mentor will most benefit you in achieving your objectives?

f How will we establish time commitments and ensure regular, ongoing interactions?

f How will we ensure the relationship is working for both of us? What tips would you give your mentee/mentor so he/she can be most successful in working with you?

f How will we give feedback and deal with disagreements between one another?

f How will we know the relationship has been successful?

Ninety-five per cent of

mentoring participants said

the experience motivated

them to do their very best. The War for Talent

Getting started

Join usWe are an independent not-for-profit that uses

our expertise to work with industry, communities and the public sector to revolutionise the way

we generate, supply and use energy.

www.regensw.co.uk/membership

First name ..............................................................................................Last name ..................................................................................

Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Email ..........................................................................................................Work number .........................................................................

How would you prefer to be contacted? Email Telephone

Organisation ....................................................................................................................................................................................................

Organisations web address ................................................................................................................................................................

Location of workplace ............................................................................................................................................................................

Home town (for geographical matching) ..............................................................................................................................

Job title .................................................................................................................................................................................................................

How long have you worked in the renewables sector? ............................................................................................

What would you like to achieve in your career in the next five years?

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PTO

A P P L I C AT I O N

What are you looking for in a mentor? (background, characteristics, job role)

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Why would you benefit from being mentored?

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

What are your key characteristics?

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

To apply for the EWiRE mentoring scheme, you will need to fill in the application form and return it to: Katrina Jackson, Regen SW, Innovation Centre, Rennes Drive, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4RN or email to kjackson@regensw.co.uk.

All data will be securely held by Regen SW and will be treated confidentially. Regen SW will not share your data with third parties.

Please attach your CV and further pages if required.