Mentoring programme standards and accreditation

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the professional standards and accreditations that underpin the practice of mentoring. We begin with the core criterion set out in the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Global International Standards for Mentoring and Coaching Programmes, which offers a framework for developing and implementing mentoring and coaching programmes within organisational contexts. We outline core elements including programme purpose, design, participant recruitment, matching, training, communication, support, and evaluation. We also present EMCC Global standards and accreditation frameworks for both training provider Quality Awards as well as individual accreditations in mentoring, coaching, supervision, and programme management. We explore how these can be integrated within the design and delivery of mentoring programmes. Finally, we draw from the 22 case studies in Chapters 4 – 9 to consider the practice implications of these standards and accreditation requirements as benchmarks for equipping mentoring programme managers with the required knowledge, skills, and capabilities to develop best practice in mentoring and programme delivery.