Company mentor training: Field report by Head of School Hanspeter Ott - Supporting others in challenging situations at work

Please tell us about your role and your career.

My name is Hanspeter Ott. I am the director of INSPIRIERBAR in Bern. We are an institute for education and consulting. I run it together with my business partners Judith Ehrensperger and Annette Stampfli. I was originally a primary school teacher, after which I trained as an adult educator HF and supervisor, among other things.

What courses does INSPIRIERBAR offer?

INSPIRIERBAR is geared towards training courses that also focus on personal development - i.e. wherever soft skills need to be developed. This includes the SVEB certificate, the specialist certificate for trainers, SVF Leadership or company mentors.

What is the target group of the further training course for company mentors?

The target group of the company mentor course are people who support employees in challenging situations at work. All previous training in the area of teaching and accompanying adults is of course valuable for this activity. They may also be managers who wish to work in the field of mentoring as well as management. It is also conceivable that you could later work as a self-employed mentor after completing the company mentor course.

What requirements must participants fulfill for the company mentor course?

Admission requirements for the company mentor course are a completed apprenticeship or equivalent training and the willingness to engage in a personal development process. We also recommend a practical field in which you can apply what you have learned. The latter is not a prerequisite for the company mentor course, but it is very helpful.

What do students learn on the course?

The learning content taught in the company mentor course is the professional design of mentoring sequences:

• Building support through conversation structuring
• Involve involuntary participants in a collaboration
• Dealing with conflict situations as a company mentor
• Evaluation and publicizing the offer

How long does the company mentor course last?

The Company Mentor course is divided into three modules. The first module, Systemic Coaching, lasts 14 days and focuses on the development of skills and competencies. The second lasts 9 half-days and in this reflection module you learn different tools as a company mentor. The third module is about exam preparation and lasts 6 days.

How much does the company mentor training course cost?

Further training as a company mentor costs a total of around CHF 12,000, 50% of which is subsidized by the federal government. Those who take the federal examination are reimbursed 50% of the training costs, even if they are not successful. The training costs for company mentors include the teaching materials, supervision of the theoretical work and all other costs incurred. Only the costs for the federal examination of CHF 2,250 are not included (there is no subsidy for this either).

What kind of degree do you have afterwards?

The qualification awarded after successfully passing the external federal examination is Company Mentor with a federal certificate. This qualification is relatively new. However, there is a very high level of interest among participants, as it is not a coaching course for various applications, but really is a specific further training course for supporting people with challenges in the working environment and operational issues. The company mentor qualification is also required in job advertisements, e.g. in areas that involve the integration of jobseekers into the labor market.

Where does INSPIRIERBAR stand out through innovation?

INSPIRIERBAR sets itself apart from other schools with its "flipped classroom" concept. The participants come to the training day already prepared. This allows us to concentrate on training and consolidating the learning material for the company mentor on the training days. This means that no time is lost for input and theory teaching. In addition, all customers are important to a small training company. Our aim is to ensure that everyone passes the exam and to support the participants in finding a job as a company mentor. We support our apprentices in this. Our passion is the close contact with the apprentices and the successful path to becoming a company mentor together. We also work with Gunther Schmidt's hypnosystemic approach. This characterizes a model that links problem patterns such as strong nervousness before a presentation and associated elements such as posture, inner voice and rapid breathing with resources in order to be able to perform more calmly and confidently using these resources. Such involuntary processes can be influenced using special techniques such as conscious attention focusing.

Why is the school called INSPIRIERBAR?

While searching for a name, we came across the name INSPIRIERBAR. Because it also reflects the school's values very well. On the one hand, we want to inspire and thus open up new perspectives. In this way, we enable development - for example, to become a company mentor. But we can also be inspired. We are inspired by the learners and their experiences. That's why the school is called INSPIRIERBAR.

What makes the training locations in Bern, Zurich and Lucerne particularly interesting for students?

With our training rooms in Berne, Zurich and Lucerne, we are very close to the train station, so that students can travel directly by train to the company mentor course. In Bern, it is a 3-minute walk to our location. In Zurich, we are either on the premises of the PH close to the train station or in Niederdorf. In Lucerne we are located in the premises of MAZ (Swiss School of Journalism) near the train station.

Why should people interested in education choose INSPIRIERBAR?

INSPIRIERBAR is worthwhile for people who really want to develop personally. We offer training courses that focus on people as individuals and their activities. Accordingly, someone else will have a different quality in this activity as a company mentor, even if they do the same thing. It all depends on how it is done. This requires a company mentor with appropriate self-competence and social skills - supplemented, of course, by appropriate methodological and technical skills. However, the former is in the foreground and is what makes a successful activity in these areas.

Are there success controls for the development of such self-competencies?

Part of personal development through a further training course for company mentors always includes defining individual learning goals for yourself at the start of the course. You want to stick to these goals yourself during the company mentor course and improve. These are then evaluated at the end of the course. We do this by writing a letter to a colleague after ten years to tell them how things went better than we ever thought. In it, they describe how they were able to develop further over these ten years and gain a foothold in their dream job. How you are successful in it today. The next steps and goals are defined by means of a very positive picture of the future or vision of the future as a company mentor.

What motivates you when training?

We trainers at INSPIRIERBAR are all passionate about what we do and it is very important to us to support participants in their development as company mentors. For example, we receive feedback from people who say they have gone through the world with a part of themselves that tells them they are stupid and cannot pass anything on to others. This is usually due to previous bad experiences at school. At the end of our company mentor training course, they tell us that they have now realized that they have numerous skills. They also have weaknesses that they are aware of and can accept. But they are now stronger and have the knowledge to pass on a few things. For us, this is the greatest feedback of all and motivates us immensely.

Overview "Company mentor (BP)"