Rachel Potts, Booths: Mentorship in Action

The Mentor of the Year award is presented to a manager, team leader, or mentor who has provided an excellent level of support to apprentice(s) as they complete their Intec programme. This year, it has been awarded to Rachel Potts of E H Booths & Co.

Rachel holds regular meetings with apprentices and has also arranged for guest speakers to advance their learning on the programme, supporting them through the EPA process. “Vanessa was very nervous about her EPA, so we set aside time to put together her report and PowerPoint. All Vanessa needed was someone there to ask questions and confirm she was on the right path.”

Rachel was nominated for the award by Learning & Development apprentice Vanessa Pattinson. Through her role as a Learning & Development Manager, Rachel has become a champion for apprenticeships and the benefits they bring to E H Booths & Co.

Since partnering with Intec in 2017, E H Booths & Co. has rolled out a management programme that maps their internal training to the Team Leader/Supervisor Level 3 apprenticeship. Rachel has been instrumental in the ongoing success of this programme, supporting apprentices across the company.

“Rachel is approachable and goes above and beyond in her support of me and all apprentices. She has helped me develop my computer skills, including Microsoft Forms and Excel sheets, and has given me the confidence to speak up and ask for help. She is encouraging, supportive, and a great mentor.” – Vanessa Pattinson.

The most successful apprenticeship programmes are underpinned by a strong relationship between the learner, the training provider, and the employer.

Rachel exemplifies the kind of support an employer can provide to elevate a programme from good to great. Vanessa’s tutor, John Felton, agrees: “Rachel has created an understanding and appreciation of mentorship throughout her business. She has personally mentored over 20 learners and arranged for a cohort of 18 learners to have a mentor within the business.” This approach to mentorship benefits not only the apprentices but also those looking to develop mentoring skills, providing the mentors with professional development. John continues, “She also supported these mentors with an information session around the meaning of mentorship to help with their understanding.”

Rachel’s attitude toward apprenticeships and her drive to create a learning culture at E H Booths & Co. shines through in her submission: “I am constantly looking at ways to improve the apprenticeship programmes that we offer, and the mentoring programme is just one of many elements that I am working on. My aim for all our apprenticeship programmes is to introduce them to different stakeholders within the business so that they learn about the various departments and understand how we all work together. It is also a great way for the learners to explore possible career pathways, as we like to promote from within.”

Rachel has gone above and beyond to help her colleagues understand the true meaning of mentorship and continues to seek ways to improve her business and the apprenticeship and mentoring programmes.

Congratulations, Rachel!