Mentoring is a professional relationship that promotes talent development by bringing employees together with more experienced staff to achieve their full potential. The process will enable new members of staff to familiarize themselves with their role and the wider institution, to become effective as swiftly as possible. Its focus is on supporting and developing the whole person.

High quality mentoring can lead to benefits for all parties involved. Mentees benefit in terms of the development of skills and abilities, access to advice and entering into career advancement opportunities. Mentors benefit from developing new career networks, the chance to contribute to another’s success, and feedback about their own work and ideas. When academic mentoring is practised in the University, the Departments, Faculties and the University will benefit from improved recruitment and retention, an improved work environment, and a stronger sense of University community.

A successful mentoring policy in the University involves a well-supported and well-trained workforce involved in advancing research and administration who can cultivate an atmosphere that enhances creativity, knowledge acquisition and proactive problem-solving in mentees. The policy will meet University's legal obligations, professional standards and its higher aspirations as well.

Since the inception of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya (FoMUP), there is no clear-cut academic mentoring policy that would allow for effective mentoring of staff for their professional development. Improved research, publications, teaching and administration can effectively take place if there is an elaborate mentoring programme for guiding staff in their professional development.

FOMUP would like to establish this Mentoring Policy for the continuous improvement of all the staff. This is grounded in the following principles and practices:

• Staff are free to accept the role of mentors
• Mentees are free to choose their mentors and information about the mentors is available for mentees to choose
• Mentees could have multiple mentors if they wish
• Mentors can be from within the Faculty or outside the Faculty

The mentoring schemes are traditionally available to new academic staff but this scheme is intended to accommodate all the staff. The academic mentoring scheme, while open to all, will particularly target the following groups of staff:

• New recruits to FOMUP who need to settle in and progress in the career with the help of a mentor
• Existing staff who may be starting in a new role (Head of the Department etc.), continuing in a developing role, or looking at career development and possible new roles.