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| The BANKSETA recognises a super mentor |
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Mentoring dates back to the Trojan wars, with Homer recording how Odysseus asked his trusted friend, Mentor, to provide his
son, Telemachus, with guidance during his absence. The merits of mentoring are becoming more
relevant within the workplace today. Violet Tagane is one of approximately 2 400 learners who have already completed the BANKSETA’s Letsema
Learnership which was launched in 2004. The Letsema Learnership project aims to provide 5 000 unemployed learners with skills, a
recognised workplace qualification and some work experience, which will render
these learners employable, not only in the banking sector, but in the economy
as a whole. The project runs over a five year period. Recognising that learners do not have any work
experience, the Letsema Learnership places a premium on mentorship.
Twenty-three year old Letsema III learner, Violet Tagane is a particularly strong proponent of mentoring. She attributes her own
success on the BANKSETA Letsema III Learnership, to the support of her “super mentor,” and team leader, Tumi Mahome. In fact, Tagane felt so strongly about
the matter that she “reported” her “super mentor” to the BANKSETA. “Tumi welcomed me on my first day at work and she told me I needed to be disciplined. She also
told me that I should try to resolve problems on my own, only asking for assistance as a last resort,” she recalls.
Tagane says she really appreciates the fact that Mahome has always adopted a hands-on approach. “Tumi was always involved in everything
that I did. She always asked whether I had completed my assignments, and she never tired when I needed assistance. I do not think I would have been able to
survive on my own,” she explains. Mahome attributes her own success as a mentor to commitment and a genuine interest in what her learner was doing. “Focussing on
the learner and on the tasks that the learner has been assigned, are key to success,” she observes.
Despite the fact that Mahome has never received any formal training to equip her for her mentoring role, she recognised that the task was
far too important to leave to chance. “In preparing for the task, I asked myself what I needed to do, what was expected, and how I could ensure that the
learner would be able to achieve the objectives of the Letsema learnership,” she recalls.
Pressed to proffer advice to other mentors, she says it is important to ensure that one is always available for one’s learner. It is
also important to be involved in the learner’s work. “You must not do the learner’s work, but you must guide her,” she cautions. Learners on the Letsema Learnership are required to
attend classes off site. Whenever Violet returned to work, Mahome made a point to ask Tagane what she had done, what her marks were, and where she needed
assistance. Success is always a two-way street. Mahome concedes that having a learner who was dedicated, committed and willing to learn, played
an important role in her own success. Tagane has been offered a permanent position at Absa Card Division in Pretoria
as from 1 February 2007. Determined to carve out a successful career for herself in the banking sector, she has already registered for a B Banking
degree, and if all goes according to plan, she hopes to graduate in 2009.
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| Copyright© Bankseta 2010, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
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