HR in Education: Practising what we preach through mentor and coaching programmes

Education is at the core of what we do at Swiss Education Group with over 6,500 students studying in our schools across Switzerland. To keep our programmes competitive and our staff's performance of the highest quality, we have designed a learning and development environment that prioritizes individual coaching and mentoring.

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Since 2014, more than 150 faculty and staff members have completed or are undergoing Postgraduate Awards in Higher Education awarded by our collaborative partner University of Derby. Reflecting back, I can see how the Internal HR Learning Strategy was a natural step for us, as it is in fact, a formalization of the culture that already existed in the company.

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Our strategy is a combination of theoretical university programmes supported by a practical coaching and mentoring scheme - a programme I particularly believe in for its human approach. This strategy has contributed directly to the quality of our academic programmes and therefore our students' learning experience, but it has also provided a powerful network of lifelong learners across our 7 campuses.

Figure 1 Swiss Education Group 2017 Graduation ceremony celebrated 104 graduates including 15 icoaches, 8 Career Coaches, 25 Chef/Instructors, 69 Post Graduate Certifications in Higher Education & 9 Masters in Education Postgraduate Awards.

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During our staff graduation ceremony in December, it was so wonderful to see the pride on the graduates' faces. It was their hard work that got them there, and to be able to share the experience amongst colleagues made it even more special.

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The professional network extends across Switzerland and includes an incredibly diverse group of professionals. The individual mentorship programme fosters trust and supports a community of learning where peers across campuses can share new creative ideas, ask for genuine feedback and develop the confidence to bring real change into the classroom.

I am proud to be a part of a company that believes that each and every member of our staff contributes to the positive educational experience of our students. The mentorship and coaching culture is an integral step in supporting both our students' and employees' journey at Swiss Education Group.

Figure 2 Emanuel Donhauser, Chief Academic Officer of Swiss Education Group & Professor Kathryn Mitchell BSc, PhD, CPsychol Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of University of Derby award graduate Marc Urech, Assistant Dean at SHMS Leysin.

Alessandra Aslan is the Executive Director of Human Resources at Swiss Education Group.