Supervising and Mentoring Tips

To create a productive and rewarding cooperative education experience, we ask that employers provide feedback and mentorship opportunities.

Supervision and Instruction

Co-op students should be supervised in the same way as regular employees, with a special focus on mentorship and guidance. Some key points to keep in mind when supervising a co-op student:

• Ensure co-op students have a clear understanding of the reporting structure, including who they can go to as a back-up supervisor.
• Be accessible for questions.
• Clearly communicate expectations for work assignments and deadlines.
• Assign work that is meaningful and challenging, enabling the student to gain new skills.
• Include students in meetings, presentations, and report writing, as appropriate.
• Schedule regular meetings to check in with the student.
• Schedule performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to the student.
• Provide ongoing training and guidance as necessary.
• Check on student's workload and assign additional tasks if possible.
• If work problems arise, refer to our Co-op Policies for guidance in addressing performance issues.

Mentorship

Steinbright requires that co-op employers provide adequate supervision and recommends mentorship to help students grow. Many employers convey that mentorship is a promising practice to enhance the student transition into the company culture, expectations and workplace best practices.

Benefits of Mentorship

Mentorship is intended to help co-op students grow and employers utilize this practice for positive results. Employers gain:

• Employees more quickly oriented to the company.
• Increased employee productivity and engagement.
• Increased employee job satisfaction.
• A way to promote professional development to employees with high potential.
• An opportunity to grow the future employment pool.

Mentorship Models

Mentorship functions best when there is a good match between mentor and mentee and can take many forms.

• Peer Mentoring – An employee close in age to the mentee is assigned to act as a sounding board for ideas and plans, and provide guidance informally.
• Group Mentoring – A mentor works with a group of mentees with similar interests and needs.
• Supervisor Mentoring – A supervisor guides, instructs, and makes recommendations to mentees to develop their skills and workplace knowledge.