Mentoring and Advising in the Field

This course was developed in cooperation with the Federal Police Academy in Lübeck and the UN Training Centre of the German Armed Forces in the framework of the training partner platform. The training is currently awaiting EU certification.

The main objective of the course is to convey the significance of successful mentoring and advising for the implementation of the overall mission mandate and to determine how mentoring schemes and processes can successfully contribute to local ownership of a host nation.

The challenge of how to integrate local knowledge and traditions into the transitional process - how to strike the proper balance - in the implementation of internationally accepted standards is tremendous and demands patience and subtlety from all partners involved. Successful mentoring can contribute to reducing the friction caused by these transitions.

The fact of gaining and holding the respect of local staff as a pre-condition to be accepted in the role of a mentor is addressed in the training, and participants are introduced to tools and techniques in working with interpreters.

Furthermore the dilemmas of “intrusive” peace-building measures and how those can affect and influence the relationship of a mentor and mentee are discussed. Sustainable capacity development requires a comprehensive, continuous and logical process that begins with strategic planning and is followed by assessment of capacity needs, planning for capacity development interventions and finally periodical monitoring and evaluation.

Training Modules:

• Introduction to Mentoring, Definitions: Mentoring, Advising, Coaching and Monitoring;
• General Aspects of Mentoring;
• Roles and Requirements of Mentor and Mentee;
• Communication in a Cross-Cultural Context;
• Resistance and Coping;
• Working with Interpreters;
• Documentation, Evaluation and Handover

Sample Program Mentoring and Advising in the Field

For more information on the Mentoring and Advising in the Field Training, including training dates, course fees and application process, please consult the ZIF Training Course Overview.