International E-publication: Publish Projects, Dissertation, Theses, Books, Souvenir, Conference Proceeding with ISBN.  International E-Bulletin: Information/News regarding: Academics and Research

Mentee and mentor traits for establishing and sustaining mentorship: pesperctives from the South African sugar industry

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Agricultural Economics, Education and Extension, Botswana College of Agriculture, P/Bag0027, Gaborone, Botswana

Res. J.Educational Sci., Volume 4, Issue (2), Pages 1-6, February,1 (2016)

Abstract

Mentorship in South Africa (SA) has the pontential to equip black emerging farmers with the necessary skills required to farm successfully. However, for mentorship to be successful, among other things, mentors and mentees should have some attributes that enhance and help them nurture mentorship relationships. This paperuses 2010 data from a sample of 43 emerging black sugarcane growers and 11 mentors in three KwaZulu- Natal (KZN) sugar growing regions and seeks to report on (i) demographic characteristics of the surveyed sugarcane growers, (ii) respondents’ views on competences required for establishing and sustaining mentorship, and (iii) identify policy implications. The sample NFGs were mostly male and the surveyed mentors operated relatively large farms and had substantial number of years of experience in sugarcane farming. Nearly 50% of the surveyed NFGs placed more emphasis on soft skills, as one of the significant mentor competences that could enhance mentee-mentor relationships. The sample NFGs also highlighted technical skills such as mentor’s success and substantial farming experience as some of the traits that help mentors establish and sustain successful mentorship interventions. Mentors suggested mentee traits relating to initiative and self-drive.These study results imply that there are generic competencies that mentors and mentees should possess or should be helped to develop before and during mentorship. The results also suggest that mentorship is interdisciplinary in nature and successful interventions may require input from different experts. Policy makers therefore, need to do detailed analysis of participants’ competencies beforehand and empower those that require such

References

  1. Kwa Zulu Natal (2009)., Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (KZNDAEA)., Mentorship Policy. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. 28 April,
  2. Clutterbuck D. (2005)., Establishing and Maintaining Mentoring Relationships: An Overview of Mentor and Mentee Competencies., SAJournal of Human Resource Management 3(3), 1-9.
  3. Kram K.E. (1983)., Phases of the Mentor Relationship., Academy of Management Journal26(4): 608-625.
  4. Lewis G. (1996)., The Mentoring Manager: Strategies for Fostering Talent and Spreading Knowledge., London:Pitman.
  5. Terblanchè S.E. (2007)., Understanding Mentorship and the Development of a Structure to Implement and Manage a Mentorship Program to Support Extensionists Towards Professionalism., South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 36, 94-108.
  6. Klasen N. and Clutterbuck D. (2002)., Implementing Mentoring Schemes:, A Practical Guide to Successful Programs. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
  7. Megginson D. Clutterbuck D. Garvey B. Strokes P. and Garrett-Harris R. (2006)., Mentoring in Action:, A Practical Guide. London: Kogan Page,
  8. Goleman D. (1998)., What Makes Leaders., Harvard Business Review76(6), 93-102.
  9. Levinson D.J. Darrow C.N. Klein E.B. Levinson M.H. and McKee B. (1978)., The Seasons of a Man’s Life., New York: Alfred A. Knof, Inc.
  10. Ostrom E. (1990)., Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action., Cambridge University Press: New York.
  11. Enshayan K. Stinner D. and Stinner B. (1992)., Farmer to Farmer. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, MarchApril, 127–130.