The Greek sub-grant project GuideCar implemented by Symplexis launched an e-mentoring platform with funding from MoreThanAJob. The project aspires to shape project beneficiaries into future community leaders through their interaction with experienced professionals, helping them to build the interpersonal skills that are necessary to reach their full potential. GuideCar thus offers added value for the development and delivery of welfare services promoting the social and labour inclusion of vulnerable people, a main goal of MoreThanAJob.

The e-mentoring website offers orientation sessions where participants develop the skills necessary to maintain mutually beneficial relationships. The mentoring activities are designed for people that belong in vulnerable groups, i.e. unemployed, uneducated, women, and migrants. GuideCar’s mentorship programme facilitates participants to develop their career prospects, leadership and diversity skills needed to succeed in a dynamically changing labour market. The ultimate goal is to mentor 100 beneficiaries, giving them the chance to create employment opportunities for themselves. The website will remain operational after the project completion, ensuring that participants will have the opportunity to stay in contact with their mentees.

Empowering vulnerable people to shape their future

The GuideCar mentoring program is built to facilitate knowledge transfer and career development, as a means of combating unemployment in Greece. To achieve that, GuideCar uses an innovative competency-based and learning-outcomes-oriented approach that utilises user-friendly ICT applications. This allows for more personalized and individualized guidance, in contrast to more traditional approaches of mentoring. Beneficiaries can book 1-on-1 sessions with mentors, and gain access to online training and individualized mentoring.

There are currently 6 mentors offering their services free of charge, 3 men and 3 women. They are experts with leadership skills with different specializations: Business Management and Administration, Innovation Strategic Specialist, Business Consultant, Capacity Building Trainer, Project Managers. Depending on the beneficiary’s needs, the mentor and the mentee schedule at least 2 sessions together to set goals and check on their progress. The website also features the “GuideCar Library”, a tool that features opportunities for training and educations, portals for job-searching, and occupational profiles for different career paths.

MoreThanAJob Best Practices promoted by GuideCar

In recent years, many mentoring programs are being implemented to help people navigate an extremely dynamic and fluctuating labour market. What sets the GuideCar Project apart, is the adoption of best practices and recommendations outlined in the MoreThanAJob framework and Policy Briefs. More specifically, the Project promotes the development and implementation of business education, it intervenes by providing empowerment and not just relief, it capitalizes on labour market integration best practices, and it facilitates the exchange of knowledge. Most importantly, GuideCar overall advocates for active citizenship and delivery of welfare services promoting the social and labour inclusion of vulnerable people.

For more information on GuideCar and its activities, visit the Symplexis and EUROTraining websites.

For more information on the project and its activities, visit the MoreThanAJob webpage on the ENI CBC Med website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.