Supervisor – how to organise workplace tutoring
Your workplace has taken up an important challenge by acting as a partner in vocational education. Tutoring is today’s professionalism and enables work communities to perform their tasks well in changing and fluctuating situations. Workplace tutors are also involved in developing the competence of your company. These are reasons for investing in the selection of a workplace tutor.
Selecting a workplace tutor
Selecting a workplace tutor is very workplace-specific. In small companies, tutoring may be the employer’s task, or it might be specifically assigned to one or more tutors. Here you will find tips for selecting a workplace tutor.
A workplace tutor is
- an experienced professional,
- familiar with the operations, work processes and work practices of the workplace,
- capable of assessing and developing his/her own work,
- willing to pass on his/her experience, knowledge and skills
- motivated to act as a tutor.
Tutoring tasks should be divided at the workplace by shifts, alternate weeks or according to the special skills and work tasks of the employees. This way, the student will also get a wider perspective of the work. The workload will not be too intense for anybody, and shift planning will not be too difficult.
The student and the tutor should work together in the same shifts. If the work is done in different shifts or different units in the organisation, it is important to reserve time for tutoring and discussion. In this case, the rest of the work community also has a larger role in tutoring. Agree on the arrangements with the supervisor of the employee in question.
When the student is a young person, it should be taken into account that he/she needs closer guidance than a more experienced person. In large organisations, a person coordinating instruction tasks is needed in the work community.
Utilise training for workplace tutors provided by the educational institute. Training allows workplace tutors to develop their tutoring skills and exchange experiences. It is also a good idea to update your tutoring skills. Training themes relate to the role and tasks of the workplace tutor, the challenges of learning, facing diversity and guiding young people. Training is open to the whole work community.
Workplace tutor training provides answers to questions that workplace tutors face in daily activities. When you manage the tutoring competence of your workplace, the whole work community benefits.
