| As the first anniversary of itSMF UK’s pilot mentoring scheme approaches, Caroline Wyatt offers an update on its progress. |
The mentorship programme was officially launched in January 2025 with the aim of supporting ongoing development for member organisations and their service management professionals, but the initial pilot started some six months earlier.
The pilot phase
The pilot involved five participants who provided feedback on the design of the mentee onboarding processes, mentoring sessions, and feedback mechanisms.
The mentees also signed up to the Professional Skills Management Framework (PSMF/Skills TX), which provides a personal profile and skills self-assessment to identify the gaps between existing skills and those to which mentees aspire.
For each mentee, the profile and skills assessment, along with the application form, CV, and personal development plans, feeds into a Goal & Action Plan (GAP) for a period of 12 months.
The launch
Following this first stage, there was an additional intake of mentees from the initial pilot applications, with the next group being admitted at the official launch in January 2025.
Simultaneously, I worked with the itSMF operations team and board to identify a potential pool of mentors, drawing on the expertise of Leadership Council members and winners of the PSMA Young Professional of the Year award. This initial group of mentors was established through presentations, updates, emails, and subsequent meetings with individuals who expressed an interest in mentoring.
As we started to align mentees and mentors for phase 3, we were also able to try out some new features in PSMF/SkillsTX, geared towards matching the specific competencies of the two groups. This new functionality helps to ensure that the most appropriate mentor is selected for each mentee.
The itSMF website has been updated to reflect the phases of the mentoring programme as it was being delivered, and the mentors are now all listed so that mentees can identify potential matches.
Personal goals and issues
I continue to personally mentor and oversee several mentees from phases 1, 2, and 3. This past year has shown us that we possess a broader range of skills, knowledge, and experience than we initially anticipated amongst the mentees, and the primary takeaway for me has been that mentoring benefits individuals at every stage of their career.
We have found that personal issues such as lack of confidence, effects of grief, limiting beliefs, or lack of direction often hold people back more than professional factors. These can be addressed during the onboarding process, which includes an introductory meeting and a ‘triage’ session. This session helps match mentees with mentors who have the necessary skills and experience to move professional development forward, once personal issues have been addressed.
Mentees come to the process with various personal goals, such as shifting from technical to service roles, moving from team lead to manager, advancing from management to director, or addressing leadership, personal branding, and process improvement issues. The mentorship programme aims to address all of these goals in the most effective way we can.
Progress so far
So how is it going one year on? The stats are as follows…
Total mentees onboarded = 14
- Phase 1 = 5 mentees matched with mentors
- Phase 2 = 2/3 matched (1 yet to onboard)
- Phase 3 = 4/6 matched (2 yet to onboard)
Total mentors onboarded = 14
Total mentee/mentor matches = 10
One company did not renew their itSMF membership, which renders them ineligible to participate, and unfortunately another was made redundant at the end of their year.
Next steps
We are now in the process of developing our references and case studies to support the expansion of this programme. We offer a diverse range of mentors, so whether you are considering applying, wish to progress further, or seek guidance on areas for personal development, we are well equipped to assist you.
It would be great to continue to onboard new mentees on a regular basis. If any of this has resonated with you, please consider applying. At worst you will get a free mentoring session for 12 months – at best you might end up moving forward quicker than if you go it alone.
A big thank you to our current mentees and mentors. I hope to welcome more of you into the programme over the next year.
Caroline Wyatt
Caroline Wyatt, who leads the itSMF UK mentorship programme, is a business coach/consultant with more than 20 years' IT service management experience.
