London Councils Mentor Connect
Background
London Councils is the collective of London local government, the 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation. They come together through the London Councils to work in collaboration to deliver their shared ambitions for London and Londoners.
Aims
Launched in March 2024, MentorConnect was led by Enfield Council, whose objectives in setting up and using the PLD mentoring platform were to widen their scope for professional and personal development, which extended beyond the reach of their internal channels. By partnering with other London boroughs, they wanted to increase their pool of potential mentors, which is a great advantage for mentees. The advantages of this are improved knowledge and resource sharing, improved networking and improved equality opportunities.
Here is what they have to say...
How have you promoted your platform to potential users?
We promote the platform via our internal channels, which include our intranet, internal emails, inductions, lunch and learns, as well as cross-council promotional activities. It also forms part of our wider career development programme to help upskill people with the aim of building careers and not just having jobs.
Do you feel your promotion methods have worked for you?
Yes, our numbers have steadily increased since we launched the platform. This has not only been the trend for Enfield, but for almost all partner councils.
Do you feel your objectives have been met?
Initial objectives have definitely been met (multi-partnership platform), but as part of our workforce development and career programme, the key objective on staff development is a continuous one, which is ongoing throughout the employee lifecycle.
How have you found working with PLD?
Amazing! From inception, design, delivery, and after support, the team have been brilliant. Chris, Jan and Ria provide excellent service, are very knowledgeable, and are fully supportive with any queries, suggestions or improvements we may have. Pricing is transparent and honest, and they have delivered on exactly what they promised in terms of the platform.
How easy have changes been to make and how responsive do you find the PLD support?
Extremely easy. We overhauled the homepage to make it more user friendly, and this was a very simple process which was fully supported by the PLD team.
Can you share any user feedback on how they have found it beneficial?
Our users (as well as other partner users) have noted how simple the platform is to use and navigate. They have seen improvements in their professional development, especially when connecting with mentors in other boroughs in similar job roles who have been able to share new ways of working, support with ongoing projects and build meaningful connections which extend beyond the mentoring relationship.
