10 December 2019
A partner mentoring scheme that was established by Specsavers 12 months ago has matched 120 mentors with mentees, the multiple confirmed.
Launched in 2018, the voluntary service has exceeded Specsavers’ expectations for making 100 partnership in its first year.
Through the scheme, anyone can offer mentorship or make a request to be mentored, while Specsavers shared that the majority of mentors who have signed up are experienced partners and those who have requested mentors are new partners or those in waiting.
2020 will see the scheme rolled out to all practitioners on the multiple’s Pathway programme, which is a partner development and learning scheme.
Specsavers partnership director for the UK and Ireland, Jack Ismail, who came up with the idea of the partner mentor scheme, commented: “The best way to learn is from others who are already doing the job. We’ve got 1500 UK partners in Specsavers, many of whom have phenomenal experience and knowledge. It just seemed a no-brainer for us to leverage all that knowledge and see what we could do with it via a mentoring scheme.”
Retail director at Specsavers in Grantham, Colin Ducker (pictured left), signed up to be a mentor in January this year shortly after the scheme launched. During the year he has been mentoring Pathway candidate, dispensing optician and store manager, Rajiv Pancholi (pictured right).
The pair have met up “every few weeks,” and talk regularly online.
With 30-year experience in retail, Mr Ducker signed up to be a mentor in order to “give something back,” while Mr Pancholi requested a mentor for support with leadership skills.
He said: “My mentoring experience has all been positive and I would encourage other people to sign up for the scheme. I not only gained a mentor throughout my Pathway journey, but also a friend and future advisor for when I become a research partner.”
Launched in 2018, the voluntary service has exceeded Specsavers’ expectations for making 100 partnership in its first year.
Through the scheme, anyone can offer mentorship or make a request to be mentored, while Specsavers shared that the majority of mentors who have signed up are experienced partners and those who have requested mentors are new partners or those in waiting.
2020 will see the scheme rolled out to all practitioners on the multiple’s Pathway programme, which is a partner development and learning scheme.
Specsavers partnership director for the UK and Ireland, Jack Ismail, who came up with the idea of the partner mentor scheme, commented: “The best way to learn is from others who are already doing the job. We’ve got 1500 UK partners in Specsavers, many of whom have phenomenal experience and knowledge. It just seemed a no-brainer for us to leverage all that knowledge and see what we could do with it via a mentoring scheme.”
Retail director at Specsavers in Grantham, Colin Ducker (pictured left), signed up to be a mentor in January this year shortly after the scheme launched. During the year he has been mentoring Pathway candidate, dispensing optician and store manager, Rajiv Pancholi (pictured right).
The pair have met up “every few weeks,” and talk regularly online.
With 30-year experience in retail, Mr Ducker signed up to be a mentor in order to “give something back,” while Mr Pancholi requested a mentor for support with leadership skills.
He said: “My mentoring experience has all been positive and I would encourage other people to sign up for the scheme. I not only gained a mentor throughout my Pathway journey, but also a friend and future advisor for when I become a research partner.”
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