A Mentoring Competence Framework for the European Solidarity Corps

Aims of the tool

The main purpose of the Mentoring Competence Framework is raise the quality of mentoring support within European Solidarity Corps projects providing a clear and effective guidance for mentoring practitioners.

On a practical level, the framework
- provides an architecture that aligns tasks, competences and ethical guidelines for mentoring,
- clarifies the tasks of a mentor, defines competences needed to carry out mentoring and provides ethical guidelines for mentoring,
- encourages mentors to continuously develop their mentoring competence,
- strengthens mentoring support and mentoring programmes within an organisation,
- provides guidelines for designing training courses for mentors and organisations.

In addition, the framework
- recognises mentoring as a significant, professional support measure,
- stresses the importance and value of mentoring and the recognition of mentors,
- creates a common language for mentoring practitioners,
- encourages reflection, rethinking and adjusting mentoring support,
- allows to align activities that enhance the quality of mentoring support.

Description of the tool

The structure of the Mentoring Competence Framework

A competence framework ideally aligns required tasks, behaviours that are required, valued, recognised and rewarded to carry out those tasks and knowledge, skills and attitudes that individuals need to perform and fulfil their role and tasks in an organisation.

Additionally a competence framework can include and touch on values, mindset and/or ethical practices if necessary.

In line with the recommendations of the Mentoring and Coaching under Research report (2022(, this Mentor’s Competence Framework covers the following three areas:
- the tasks of a mentor (focus areas),
- the competences that are needed to fulfil these tasks (mentoring competence) and
- the foundations of mentoring, like important values and mindset of mentoring and guidelines for mentoring (code of conduct).

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The Mentoring Competence Framework has been developed by the Mentoring under Construction Community. Mentoring under Construction is an initiative supported by the Romanian National Agency for European Solidarity Corps, the Youth and European Solidarity Corps National Agencies of France, SALTO European Solidarity Corps Resource Centre and SALTO EuroMed.

Overall co-ordination, concept and development, contributions are outlined in detail in the attached documents.

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The Mentoring under Construction Community

Mentoring under Construction (MuC) is a community of practitioners who share a passion for mentoring/coaching. The MuC Community is open for everyone who is interested in raising the quality in mentoring and coaching within European Solidarity Corps programme (and beyond) including mentors, project managers/organisers, coordinators of volunteers, facilitators of learning, authors and trainers, and members of National Agencies and SALTO Resource Centres. Mentoring under Construction was founded in 2019 by the Romanian National Agency for European Solidarity Corps with the support of SALTO European Solidarity Corps Resource Centre and is co-operating with various other National Agencies.