Mentoring next generation as scaffolding for sustainable developments: Engagement in meaningful work, learning and intentions of prolonged working-life : Thematic track: Perspectives on collaboration for sustainable organisational learning.

• Background In some welfare jobs the great challenges of recruiting and retaining employees are also contributing to poor development of working conditions and sustainability conditions related to quality of service, e.g. in the educational and caring sectors. Concrete measures are needed in these sectors. The study departs from the theoretical frameworks of Inner Development Goals (IDG) and Organisational capability, and explores mentoring programs as an organizational scaffolding of abilities needed. Aim to identify importance’s of mentoring programs for sustainable developments through senior professionals’ active engagement in mentoring. How can the IDG-framework be applied to mentoring programs as a measure of scaffolding specifically of the qualities needed for sustainable development? Who has participated in mentoring programs? How are mentoring programs associated with patterns of learning and development, perceived meaningful work and preferences of a longer working life? Method A survey: "Attractive and sustainable work" was distributed in 2019 and 2021 to all senior employees aged 55 years and older in a Swedish City (n=4,509/2019) and 4,234/2021). Descriptive and stratified analysis by participation in mentoring program was conducted of baseline associations and follow-up. Results An increasing amount (20-40%) of teachers and nurses were active in mentoring, but few (11-16%) over longer periods of time. The explorative analysis identified weak but significant associations between active mentoring and capabilities related to IDG. Mentoring supported social, collaborative and cognitive skills in handling and driving changes of more complex tasks. Mentors more often crafted tasks that better corresponded to their needs, values, skills and experiences. However, active mentors only to some degree wanted to stay longer in working-life due to having more meaningful work tasks that enriched their lives. Conclusion There were indications of positive results in terms of meaningfulness of being a mentor and transfering achieved knowledge of how to approach complex tasks, to better support the sustainability development. Thus, mentoring programs indicate weak but promising values in terms of learning, meaningful work, contributing actively to development of quality and competence in the sector. However, being a mentor was not or only weakly associated with intentions of a prolonged working-life.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Arbetslivsstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Work Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Life-long learning

Organisational learning

Knowledge retention

Sustainable development

Inner development goals

Meaningfulness

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