This document outlines a mentoring program between a mentor and mentee working in a graphics department. It includes an overview of monthly topics covered such as learning styles, leadership, problem solving and team building. It also lists the objectives, roles, responsibilities and expectations of both the mentor and mentee. The document concludes with a fictional account of a typical day where the mentor guides the mentee through various work tasks and skills development opportunities.

1. MENTORING
portfolio
APPLIED
STUDIES
MENTORSHIP
nbccfredericton
AMÉLIE
allAIN
MENTORSHIP
PROGRAM
❶❶ Mentoring:
A Transformational Experience
August 2014
Introduction of the role and concepts
of being a mentor. How to establish healthy
relationships between mentor and mentees.
Exploration of the required skills to develop
a positive learning environment at work
to help the mentee grow. Creation of
a mentorship plan and contract.
❷❷ Learning Styles and Team Building
September 2014
Analyze diverse learning styles and
leadership theories. Review teambuilding
concepts factoring motivation, communication
and support. Design teambuilding exercices.
Assess strengths and improvement areas.
Invest the mentoring role from a leading and
managing perspective. Understand different
manager and leader personalities.
❸❸ Leadership and Supervision
January 2015
Review leadership and supervision theories
in order to identify the appropriate styles to
a given situation. Expand further on problem
solving skills. Develop competencies
in influencing others to attain their goals
and objectives. Explore a variety of theories
and concepts about coaching, facilitating,
and leading.
●● Develop an Agreement
Expectations from both parties, Adjustments
if required, Ground rules setting
●● Confidentiality Closure
All information released during meetings
between mentee and mentor shall be
confidential and only shared with other
parties if both agree
●● ALSC Staff
Go trough the ALSC structure, Military
environment, Following chain of command
●● Expectations NBCC & Base - ALSC
Expectations from both parties
(Base & NBCC portions), Last year learning
curve and online self-learning
●● Skills Matrix
Fill skills matrix to assess strenghts and points
of improvement in order to set goals and be
groomed into work position, Split into three
levels of knowledge over eleven different
portion of the work on base
●● Goal Setting
Set new goals related to the workplace
every 2 weeks to a month, at least two
to three goals at a time
●● Equipment overview/Exersices
Show equipment we use, Maintenance (Printers,
scanners, laminator, hot press, vinyl cutter)
●● Mounting overview/Exersices
Show material we use, various mounting
techniques, Which can or can’t be used with
which (Lamination material, mounting tissues,
large format printer paper)
●● First Work Order practice
Know how to read an ALSC Work Order form,
unit, Description, Requester, Date in, How to
archive, Deadlines, etc.
●● Pricing overview/exersices
Calculation of prices for clients (quotes),
Know how to measure and add up material for
accurate estimations
●● Design practices
Design project to be chosen and given from
beginning to end for practice
●● Planned approach
Individual sessions, Non-formal
Tips: Friendly, Confidential, Open-minded,
Honesty, Availablility
●● Acknowledge potential pitfalls
No software knowledge or not a lot, Poor
customer service, Lack of design skills for
bigger projects, Hard time learning the various
material list and how to operate equipment,
negativity toward NBCC or the workplace,
Can’t meet deadlines
●● Objectives Areas
Programs, Clients, Equipments, Dry-mounting,
Designing, Workplace, Leadership
continued »
AUGUST
2 0 1 4
mentoring
strategy
Mentoring plan
handed in at
the beginning of
the journey
*Based on a real story,
where an assignment
had to be handed in
for grading purposes

2. Technical skills applied at work:
• Software
(InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.)
• Design
• Analysis
• Critical Thinking
• Plan
• Project Management
• Language/Communication
Skills
• Quality Assurance/Control
• Technical Writing
• Calculate
• Data Management (price lists)
• People Skills
• Dry-mount (various equipment)
• Troubleshoot
• Problem Solve
• Equipment Maintenance
Job responsibilities as a mentor:
• Work Orders Reviews
• Quality Control
• Regular Meetings
• Project Management
• Support
• Coordinate
• Observation/Analyse
• Organization
• Problem Solve
• Be transparent
• Listen
• Feedback/Constructive criticism
• Time management
• Always available
List of mentee(s) and
their job description:
• One mentee;
• Also working as a graphic designer in
the same department, job description includes
processing various projects that are coming in to
the department, analysing client requests and solve
problems with the utilization of the
material and equipment at our disposal, computer
work such as designing projects and preparing them
to print, production of final projects with dry-
mounting processes.
mentoring
ACTIVITIES
assessement
Regular Meetings
For a better coaching and support
Skill Matrix/Goals setting
For better skillset view and to allow challenges
Goals Monitoring
To track progress and find loopholes
Design reviews/brainstorming
To help generate ideas and production
French Fridays
To practice and keep her french updated
Feedback sessions
For progress and personal growth
Dry Mounting exercices
To learn our dept materials and techniques
Equipment operation/maintenance
To learn how to operate the various equipment
Carrer path discussions
To share knowledge and experience
Portfolio review/exchange
To share feedback, knowledge and experience
Technical training
To share software knowledge
Emotional support
To insure stress level is low and for support
Laundry Sundays, sushi Nights, etc
To enjoy a friendly relationship
Get out off bed and scruff
it off, you got to pick up
your mentee at 7:30 and
get to work, because you
two are early birds and
like to be there beforehand so
you can relax and read the news!
Turn on that good old PC, check the emails, the
usual... Oh, a client approved a proof that you
sent yesterday, finally it’s time to get that Work
Order #1225 out of the way! Those twenty-two
huge posters to be mounted on foamboard. Mentee
interrupts you for some clarification on work
order #0617, what crest to use? You know exactly
which one it is, it actually has been updated last
month whichis why she couldn’t find it. Now, back
to WO#1225, to the working table!
Phone is ringing! Quick! ‘‘Good morning, Graphics,
Amélie speaking!’’. It is Sergeant who wants to
know how the commandant’s office project is
coming along, reminding you that you have to
prioritize that one. WO#1225 can wait
I suppose; time to show mentee how to mount new
material. Banner material is awesome! It looks like
a tissue or a canvas, you can print
on it and put grommets in corners to hang it.
But, warning! Not any kind of lamination material
can be used on top of it, only the special UV
protected sand lamination material. Mentee is
learning new stuff, it goes quicker with a set of
extra hands, plus it is fun to share your knowledge.
Sergeant is going to
be happy, and so is the commandant...
Noon hour is gone by so quickly, time to get back to
your dear WO#1225, which should be printed since
you had time to set them all up
to print. Oh wait! What is that? Huge streaks and
stripes all over the print ruining your design, Oh
and that green, urgh! Time for some maintenance
on the printers, a good clean up wouldn’t hurt!
Before, let’s grab the mentee and show her how she
could solve that problem if it ever happens to her;
it should at some point, because those printers
are evil! So... Calibration of the printheads, Quality
maintenance, different printing setups, different
program outputs, clean the printheads, and so
on. Mentee informs you that it could also be a
color printing preset, great idea! Let’s try it after
cleaning the printheads.
The afternoon is more than halfway through and
WO#1225, 0617, 1234, and 0115 are out of the way. You
had to do a huge estimation for a hallway project
that will require big amounts of material, you show
the mentee the steps in doing a rough estimate for
a project like that. After reminding your supervisor
to order material we will need soon, off to the back
table pick up a new Work Order. But first, mentee
is asking you to review her design project for a
Change of Command ceremony. That actually looks
great, but there is too many options and too many
similar ones. Choose the best three and send a first
proof. Because, psst.. you don’t want to send too
many options to clients they get too picky and it
becomes a madness of back and forth changes...
Evil admin is walking towards you guys; she needs
something. A client is up front asking for the
assistance of a graphic artist. You both glance
at each other, time for mentee to put to practice
her customer service skills and challenge her
knowledge in the department. It’ll spare you time
to go talk to the Photo Technicians about that
wall montage you have to start that requires high
quality imagery they will be able to provide you
with.
In the meantime mentee is back to her desk, quietly
working on her first magazine layout that you
were thrilled to give her last month so she could
practice new skills. So, what about that client?
How did it go? Mentee says it went just fine, there is
a new Work Order on the back table for that client
now. It is a bunch of nameplates that require...Oh,
and it is 4:30... We’ll check on that tomorrow!
√ = successful
√ = unsure
√ = unsuccessful
Success was measured by the
mentee’s feedback and the feel
of the overall experience
* Evil admin
endorses this
brochure
CFB Gagetown »
CombatTraining Centre »
Tactics School »
Army Learning Support Centre »
Graphics Department
Roles and
responsibilities
FUTURE
lEARNING GOALS
A DAY AS A
MENTOR IN ALSC
continued »
Learning
expectations
from the very beginning were
fulfilled and probably exceeded.
Growing in the mentor role
wasn’t easy but was a challenging
experience that I truly enjoyed.
What is next for the future?
Continued skills development such as
technical skills — because there is something new to
learn everyday —, interpersonal skills — because I need
to always develop my second language, that includes
outside work activities and relates to interpersonal
skills and communication skills, and management skills —
because being a leader is a constant work of art in itself.