Fuel50 is proud to have partnered with Plant and Food Research for many years (since 2014). Our FuelFactors and Leaderview are used as part of a wider Mentorship Program on an ongoing basis. This year, Plant and Food Research won the Learning & Development Capability Award at the HRNZ Awards for their mentoring program. In formalizing the natural mentoring relationships that were occurring, Plant & Food Research brought together a focus on career values aligned to creating a smart green future with a collaborative workforce.
Read their announcement below for more insight into the program.
The Plant & Food Research in-house mentoring initiative won the award for Learning and Development Capability at The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRNZ) national awards.
The initiative provides a formal system to create more value and impact from mentoring relationships among staff. Since a successful pilot of the programme in 2018, 70 mentoring relationships have been established.
During the programme participants explore their career aspirations with their mentor and create a development plan. Included is a 2-day opening workshop, mentoring sessions throughout the year and a closing workshop.
Team leaders have noticed participants have a much stronger sense of where they are heading.
“My mentor has helped me with skills such as writing papers, working with teams and on projects,” says Ribina Jibra, Post-Doctoral Scientist.
It feels great that Plant & Food Research are supporting me through my science journey.”
The initiative was co-created by Mark McSherry (OD Leader), Alex Batt (OD Advisor) and Jill Stanley (Science Group Leader), with external advice from Leslie Hamilton.
“The success of the initiative is due to the commitment, experience and generosity of our senior researchers who mentor, and the enthusiasm and desire for growth from our science staff,” says Mark.
More good things are still to come from the mentoring programme, with the next 10 mentor pairs starting just last week.
Fuel50 wish to congratulate Plant & Food Research on their deserved win, we are incredibly proud!
About Plant and Food Research
With over 800 people based at sites globally, at the heart of Plant & Food Research is a goal to underpin the growth of plant and marine-based industry through the successful application and commercialization of research-based innovation.
FuelX Awards: Celebrating Future Champions
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