Mentor for Work-Study Students: Training to Provide Better Guidance – Meeting with the Trainers
Training to become a mentor for work-study students (on apprenticeship and/or professional training contracts) is essential to provide the best possible support to your new hires.
The Short Course “ Serving as Mentors for Work-Study Students " consists of 11 hours of training spread over 1.5 days.
In this short training course, you will learn about the challenges of work-study programs, the role of the mentor, the mentee’s development within the company and at school, the different stages of mentoring, and the transfer of knowledge, skills, and interpersonal skills.
To best present this training program and introduce the next two sessions, we have invited Céline Legay and Blandine Pitie Euzet, both of whom are instructors for this training session.
Table of Contents
- Training that addresses real needs
- The Work-Study Mentor: Role, Responsibilities, and Challenges
- A teaching approach that adapts to the needs of the participants
- Two upcoming training sessions are planned
A Short Training Course That Meets Real Needs
Work-Study Programs in 2024: Some Statistics
In 2024, France recorded a total of 1,042,543 work-study students (including both apprenticeship and professional training contracts), of which:
Despite these rising figures, 53% of SME executives feel they do not have the time needed to mentor a work-study student and that they are not trained for this role (source). To address this, some SMEs are implementing personalized support programs for work-study students and investing in training for mentors (source).
The objectives of the training
The Continuing Education Department collaborates with the Ensup-LR Apprenticeship Training Center (CFA) on various projects focused on work-study programs, specifically apprenticeship contracts (administered by the CFA) and professional training contracts (administered by the Continuing Education Department).
For several years now, the CFA and the Continuing Education Department have been co-hosting a webinar for prospective work-study students and their future mentors to cover the key concepts of work-study programs, which, despite their growing popularity in many companies over the past several years, still remain a source of confusion.
The short training course “Mentoring Work-Study Students in the Workplace” was designed to complement this webinar, with the aim of moving beyond one-way information sharing to offer a comprehensive training program built around discussion and the exchange of experiences.
The objectives are clearly defined:
- Define the regulatory framework
- Placing the role of tutor within its context
- Identify your role and responsibilities as a tutor
- Defining Your Rights and Responsibilities
- Support the mentee and maintain the right attitude throughout the process
- Assessing to Support Progress
To add to this article, we spoke with Céline Legay and Blandine Pitie Euzet, who are both instructors for this course.
Céline LEGAY
“With a background in science, I have been working in work-study programs for 25 years as a development coordinator. Before joining the CFA ENSUP-LR and the academic world, I worked at two other CFA institutions in the healthcare and industrial sectors.
I also work as an adjunct professor at the university, where I lead courses on the ‘Career Path’.”
Blandine PITIE EUZET
“With a background in communications and nine years of expertise in learning development, I dedicate my skills to ensuring the success of training programs. Currently, I oversee the development of training programs at the Montpellier University Institute of Technology (IUT) and Paul Valéry University within the CFA Ensup LR.”
The Work-Study Mentor: Role, Responsibilities, and Challenges
The mentor plays a key role in supervising the work-study student.
It is one of the three key players essential to the success of the work-study program. We refer to this as a “triad”: the work-study mentor, the academic advisor, and the training organization (CFA or Continuing Education Department).
Given the importance of this role and the responsibilities it entails, it is absolutely essential that the mentor be a volunteer rather than an appointed individual. The level of commitment will be entirely different if the mentorship is imposed by the organization.
"To inspire others, you have to be inspired yourself!"
Céline LEGAY
When it comes to human relationships, it’s important to keep in mind that mentoring can be complex at times. It is therefore essential that the mentor be committed and motivated by a desire to guide someone and share their knowledge.
“The tutor’s primary challenge is to help students succeed.”
Blandine PITIE EUZET
The mentor works alongside the training program to introduce the student to the profession, helping them envision their future in the field and determine whether it aligns with their expectations and career goals.
Céline LEGAY: “It is by no means a failure if the work-study student realizes that the profession or the organization does not align with their vision for the future, provided that the mentor has fully explained all the ins and outs to them.”
A teaching approach that adapts to the needs of the participants
This short training course, “Mentors for Work-Study Students,” is built around a key value: sharing. Learning is not limited to the transmission of information; Céline and Blandine emphasize their commitment to offering a participatory learning.
Whether or not participants have previously served as tutors, their backgrounds and experiences contribute insights that enrich the discussion.
Blandine PITIE EUZET: “Depending on the type of organization they work in (small group, large group, public institution, or private company), there are clear differences in the support provided, particularly regarding the internal procedures put in place.”
At the end of each training session, the CFA Ensup-LR and the Continuing Education Department review participant feedback and suggest adjustments.
The first training session concluded on February 7, 2025. Based on participant feedback, Blandine and Céline plan to make changes to the format, tools, and methodologies used.
Blandine PITIE EUZET: “It’s important to keep things dynamic so the group can engage with one another. We’ve found a tool—which we can’t talk about yet—that we’d like to use in future sessions to make the training even more dynamic and practical.”
TWO upcoming training sessions are planned
Are you interested in this short course?
The upcoming training sessions are available here:
To apply, please contact sfc-formations@umontpellier.fr