The National Pro Bono Centre has appointed consultant, Victoria Speed, to scope a project considering the potential for mentoring projects in the not for profit & pro bono advice sector. Victoria Speed will prepare an overview of how a scheme might work and the operational requirements required to make a possible project scalable and sustainable.

Victoria is an experienced strategist in the advice sector. Through her consultancy arrangement with Trust for London she has created and coordinated a mentoring project in employment advice for nearly four years.

Using retired Employment Judges, retired barristers and retired solicitors the mentoring scheme matches mentors with mentees, all of whom provide advice in the not for profit sector and in organisations enabling pro bono. The experience is valuable for the advisers, who often work in isolation and are usually supervised by colleagues with no expertise in employment advice.  They gain confidence, knowledge, skills and an insight into senior careers in employment law. The mentors report being energised by their mentoring role and learning more about the not-for-profit sector. They enjoy making a difference using their skills and vast experience in a different way.

There is growing understanding of the enormous value mentoring offers to anyone, but particularly to the not for profit sector and there is an appetite to trial such mentoring in other areas, particularly housing.

If you’d like to discuss this project with Victoria, please email vspeed@nationalprobonocentre.org.uk.