CHFT is proud to unveil a new  in-house inclusive mentoring programme pairing up colleagues in different roles to support each other at work.

It was launched last Friday at HRI Learning Centre with the aim of suppporting colleagues from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups by providing development opportunities and to offer support and advice on career progression.

We now have seven pairs of  mentors and mentees so they can learn from each other. The difference is that each pair shares an equal two-way experience and it is not the  the usual case where a more experienced colleague mentors a less experienced colleague. 

Bina Ullah our Assistant Medical HR Manager and has been at the Trust for eight years and and Shazia Naeem, Team Leader, Service Desk has been in the Trust for seven years. They are now "buddied" together and look forward to moving their careers forward together at CHFT. Here's their thoughts.

What do you hope to get from your mentor/mentee?

Bina - I would like to gain knowledge and different viewpoints from someone who is in a similar role to myself, I would like to learn different approaches to line management and learn different skills.

Shazia - To build a relationship with a colleague from another specialist area and work towards supporting one another’s aims and aspirations which will support our careers and colleagues in our current area of work.

Why do you think you will be a successful pair based on Friday’s introductions?

Bina - I think we are both very similar in our personalities and in our roles.  I think if we can compare and exchange experiences we will both gain knowledge and strength from each other.  One of the area’s I  would like help/support  in is  presenting, this is something I really struggle with,  after speaking to Shazia on Friday I learnt she has a lot of teaching skills one of which I used at a talk I did on Monday and it really worked.

Shazia - Meeting Bina, I feel we are both quite like minded, but have a lot to offer one another with our different experiences in the Trust. Going forward, I feel we will both be able to support each other and offer a new perspective to how we work.

How will it benefit you at CHFT?

Bina - All knowledge and experience that is learnt is beneficial. I think the programme is a wonderful opportunity to learn different skills and viewpoints from different people from different backgrounds.

Shazia - This is an exciting new venture not only for us individually, but a new venture for the Trust. I hope going forward we can help build foundations across the many different professionalisms we have in the trust. For myself individually. I feel this programme will benefit me greatly by learning about my colleague and seeing what opportunities are available to help better the service we provide to our service users/customers.