How to Build a Construction Mentorship Program as a Contractor

What Is a Construction Mentorship Program?

A construction mentorship program is a structured relationship where mentees gain knowledge about technical skills from mentors—experienced industry professionals.

Mentorship programs are especially beneficial in the construction industry due to the ongoing need for skilled manpower. By pairing industry professionals with new hires, companies can create an internal talent pool ready to fill higher-level positions as they become available.

What Are the Benefits of Mentorship in Construction? 

Mentorship in construction helps organizations increase their workforce and develop talent on the job. 

Here are some other benefits of mentorship in the construction industry.

Accelerates skill development on the job

Through real-time guidance and immediate feedback from mentors, new workers can quickly develop practical skills and correct mistakes on the spot. This significantly speeds up the learning process. 

Reduces turnover and increases engagement

According to recent data, 91% of workers who have mentors feel satisfied with their jobs, with 57% feeling ‘very satisfied.’ This behavior is understandable for two key reasons.

Firstly, mentoring employees shows you value their growth and development. This makes them feel supported and indebted to their companies, inspiring loyalty.

Secondly, mentorship builds a strong connection between mentors and mentees that goes beyond just teaching skills. This emotional connection may convince mentees to remain with the organization.

Reinforces company standards

Mentors act as role models, guiding new hires on how to perform their jobs correctly and efficiently. 

They help newcomers understand and follow safety procedures and quality standards, which are critical elements in construction, where strict adherence to safety protocols and industry regulations is vital.

Creates future leaders

Mentorship programs go beyond teaching technical skills. They also help mentees develop essential soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and team management—skills that prepare them for leadership roles.

As a result, they gain experience and become more confident in leading teams and taking on greater responsibilities.

That’s why 89% of mentees progress into senior leadership positions and even become mentors to new hires.

How Do You Structure a Construction Mentorship Program?

Once you decide to create a mentorship program, you need to build the structure for running the entire training process. This is a crucial step as defining the structure helps you track progress and hold participants accountable. 

Follow the steps below to structure your mentorship program in a way that benefits both mentees and mentors.

1. Define clear roles and responsibilities

Typically, a mentorship program involves three key individuals: mentors, mentees, and program supervisors. Before launching a mentorship program, each person must understand their role in ensuring the program's success. 

Defining roles and responsibilities can look like this:

• Mentors will guide, encourage, provide honest feedback, and share personal experiences that support the training. They helps mentees improve and grow in a safe, respectful environment. 

• Mentees will take charge of their learning. Before each meeting with their mentor, they must create a list of questions and complete their assigned tasks.

• Program supervisors are responsible for keeping both mentees and mentors accountable. They check in periodically to ensure everyone is performing their roles to the best of their ability.

We recommend you document these roles and responsibilities and refer to them during check-ins to ensure no one is lagging on their contributions to the program’s success.

2. Set a timeline

Setting a clear timeline gives all parties an end date to work toward. It also makes it easier to communicate expectations and track milestones along the way.

The first step in setting a timeline is to determine the duration of the program.

Workplace mentorships typically last six to twelve months, allowing sufficient time for meaningful growth. For construction mentorships, you can adjust the timelines based on the job type, the mentee's current skill level, and their exact development needs.

Secondly, break the timeline into phases or milestones to help you track progress easily. These phases can include:

• Orientation: The program supervisor introduces mentees and mentors to the program’s goals. Is it to onboard new hires? Transfer skills? Or fix low customer satisfaction rates?

• Initiation phase: Mentees and mentors hold their first meeting and execute their first project together. In the process, both align on the goals.

• Active learning phase: During this phase, mentors and mentees focus on developing skills and transferring knowledge. The mentee shadows the mentor, who reports to the program supervisor at predetermined intervals.

• Evaluation phase: At this stage, mentees are assessed to determine their level of progress and to identify the next steps. 

3. Establish measurable goals and milestones

Starting a mentorship program without goals is like driving without a direction—you’ll end up with an empty tank and no destination reached. Having clear goals and milestones helps you determine an ending and track progress throughout the relationship.

Mentoring goals in construction should focus on specific skill development areas such as technical proficiency, safety compliance, job completion rates, and customer satisfaction scores. 

Establishing these specific objectives provides both mentors and mentees with the motivation they need in the short term while maintaining a focus on the bigger picture for long-term development.

ServiceTitan's Technician Scorecards are a powerful feature for tracking mentee performance across key metrics. 

These scorecards provide objective feedback on generated revenue, task completion, and other performance indicators that help mentors identify growth areas and tailor their coaching approach based on actual data. 

Mentors and supervisors can monitor progress continuously, making it easier to make timely adjustments and recognize improvements.

4. Create a feedback and evaluation loop

To get honest reviews, mentees should have opportunities to provide input on how the program is supporting their development. 

This kind of two-way communication ensures mentees feel heard and provides the program administrators with helpful information they might otherwise miss.

You could use anonymous surveys or conduct informal, friendly one-on-one chats instead of formal meetings. This way, mentees and mentors can speak openly and honestly about their experiences. 

After collecting this feedback, identify patterns and use your findings to make necessary adjustments.

Who Should Be a Mentor and How Do You Select Them?

Your program’s mentors are the most essential factor that determines the success of your construction mentorship program.

When identifying potential mentors within your construction company, consider not only the people who have been there the longest but also those who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. While experience is essential, there are other important factors to consider. This includes:

• Strong technical skills: People who are great at their jobs and consistently perform at a high level.

• Leadership qualities: They are looked up to and help guide others.

• Good communication skills: To effectively transfer knowledge, mentors must be able to explain things clearly. They might be skilled techs, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll be good at teaching their skills to others.

• Loyalty to the company: They believe in the company’s vision and values. 

Additionally, consider implementing an application process that allows potential mentors to express their interest in the program. This way, you ensure that mentors are genuinely interested and motivated to support new team members, which leads to better outcomes.

You can also ask employees about whom they think should be selected as a mentor. The best mentors are usually considered leaders by their colleagues and probably already provide informal mentorship.

How to Match Mentors and Mentees Effectively

The most successful construction mentorship programs go beyond simply assigning senior staff to junior employees. They strategically pair individuals based on complementary characteristics.

Here are some tips to help you match mentors with mentees. 

Use expertise, experience, and location

The primary way to pair mentors and mentees is to consider their experience and expertise. The combined years of experience between mentors and mentees have to be sufficient for both parties to benefit from the relationship. 

Additionally, mentors must possess expertise in the areas where mentees require help.

For example, a mentee whose upsell rate hasn’t been great would benefit significantly from a mentor who has successfully upsold multiple customers and has a history of high customer satisfaction scores. Likewise, a mentee interested in the HVAC trade will stand to gain from a mentor who is experienced in the HVAC trade.

The last factor to consider is location.

The best mentor-mentee relationships extend outside the workplace. Pair people who live close to each other so you can encourage them to go to work together and organize meet-ups after hours.

Consider personality and communication style

Before officially pairing mentors and mentees, test the relationship. 

This is especially useful in construction, where mentors and mentees often work closely on-site and need to collaborate under pressure and constantly changing conditions. A mismatch could hurt the learning process or slow down projects.

Before testing partnerships, ensure that both parties have something to learn from each other for optimal results. For example, an introverted employee will benefit from an extroverted and confident mentor who challenges them to speak up, while the mentor can learn patience. The key is balance:

• Enough compatibility to work and communicate well

• Enough difference to encourage interest in new perspectives

After confirming the balance exists, send them out together on a job and collect feedback from both parties before making a final decision. If the feedback is positive, move forward with a long-term mentorship plan.

Now, there’s the challenge of structuring the schedule in a way that assigns both the mentee and the mentor to the same projects. The more employees and projects you have to handle, the bigger a problem this becomes.

The solution? Leverage technology.

Use scheduling tools to pair teams consistently

ServiceTitan's dispatch and scheduling software make it easy to ensure mentees and mentors are always on the same job call. Instead of rummaging through clipboards and paper-based calendars, you can use digital interfaces to see all the projects you have to handle, months in advance.

From here, you can:

• Schedule jobs weeks or months ahead, which helps you plan long-term mentorship opportunities that fit into the project timeline.

• View the competencies of employees and use that insight to match them optimally.

• Use color codes to tag special projects you wish to assign to specific mentor-mentee pairings.

This helps you plan mentorships easily, making sure new hires get the right training on the job.

What Common Mistakes Should You Avoid in Mentorship Programs?

Many organizations launch mentorship programs without setting clear goals or providing mentors with the necessary support to effectively guide their mentees. 

To help your program succeed, below are some common mistakes to watch out for, along with tips to help you avoid them and keep the program effective and impactful.

Mistake 1: Failing to train or support mentors themselves

Many organizations assume that technical expertise automatically translates to mentoring skills. However, that’s not the case.

Mentoring someone demands more than just technical knowledge. It also requires soft skills, such as effective communication, empathy, and patience. Anyone lacking these skills, even experienced professionals, will struggle to train others.

Before launching mentorship programs, provide your mentors with the necessary training to support their mentees. You can organize a lunch-and-learn and invite an external resource to teach mentors how to:

• Listen actively: This means truly listening to mentees and not just using the time to think about what you want to say next.

• Give useful feedback: It's about being constructive, not critical.

• Set clear goals: This helps mentors guide mentees effectively.

• Understand different learning styles: Not everyone learns the same way.

• Have difficult conversations: Mentors need to handle challenges with care.

This will equip them with the tools and techniques they need to create a positive, supportive learning environment.

Mistake 2: Not tracking progress or evaluating results

Mentorship programs always begin with enthusiasm. 

Everyone is excited about the growth possibilities it can bring. Goals are set, and people are paired. But, at the end of the program, no pairing produces results. And everyone moves on as if nothing had happened.

This can lead to employees distrusting any future learning and development programs you create.

To avoid such a cycle, always track results to confirm whether the program is achieving its objectives or providing value to participants and the organization. 

Establish clear metrics that align with the program's goal. These could include:

• Developing skills 

• Improving project completion rates

• Increasing employee retention 

As you conduct regular assessments using these metrics, you'll gather the data you need to make adjustments or reconfigure the program for improved outcomes.

Mistake 3: Overloading mentors without incentives

Mentoring requires time and energy. Yet, some employers stack mentoring responsibilities on top of already packed schedules without adjusting other duties or providing appropriate compensation. 

Mentors often end up treating the program as just another chore on their daily to-do list, rather than as a genuine opportunity to develop new talent. This leads to rushed sessions, lower-quality guidance, and low morale for everyone involved.

So, what should you do?

Ensure mentors have adequate time allocated to their mentoring responsibilities and other tasks assigned to them.

Mentors can be rewarded through formal acknowledgment, cash gifts, job promotions, or other incentives for the time they invest in developing others.

Mistake 4: Over-emphasizing directive guidance

Many mentors tend to give too many direct instructions, telling mentees exactly what to do. While this seems helpful, it can make mentees overly reliant and hinder their development of problem-solving skills.

Instead of just telling mentees what to do, mentors should act as guides. For example, instead of saying, "You should do this" or "You should try this approach," the mentor should ask, "What do you think would be the best course of action?"

Such open-ended questions help mentees develop critical thinking skills while still benefiting from the mentor's support and experience. This will help promote mentees' confidence and independence, which is essential for tackling real-world project challenges. 

How Do You Measure the Success of a Construction Mentorship Program?

After your mentorship program kicks off, you should check in and evaluate how well it's performing. 

To determine whether the program is successful or not, you should set clear goals, such as:

• Accelerate skill development

• Boost workplace safety

• Increase customer satisfaction 

These goals will help you define relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect both individual progress and the overall impact on business growth. 

For example, if your goal is to accelerate skill development, a useful KPI might be the time it takes for new employees to reach full productivity. If you're aiming to boost workplace safety, a relevant KPI could be the reduction in safety incidents over a set period. Track these metrics from the start and assess them regularly to identify areas that need adjustment.

Another indicator you can use to measure the success of your mentorship program is your employee retention rate. Mentored employees (especially early-career hires) tend to stay longer. 

So, if the retention rate is higher for non-mentored employees than for mentored employees, you might need to restructure the program. The pairings could be wrong, or employees may not be benefiting from their mentors. 

Lastly, you can use ServiceTitan to track the impact mentored employees are having on business outcomes. For example, our performance scorecards display the number of jobs and revenue generated by each employee.

Using the date filter, you can check the figures pre- and post-mentorship, helping you determine if the program is working.

After every job, ServiceTitan automatically sends out customer surveys. You can use these surveys to assess whether an employee is improving and receiving more positive reviews.

How Can ServiceTitan Support Your Mentorship and Construction Management Goals? 

With ServiceTitan, you can monitor the performance of each mentor-mentee pair in detail.

ServiceTitan also includes customizable checklists that mentors can use to create onboarding and training guides for new hires or apprentices. These checklists help mentors track which tasks have been completed. 

Beyond mentorship, ServiceTitan offers robust features for scheduling, dispatch, CRM, and project tracking. It is a scalable solution for managing your entire operation and driving revenue growth. 

Want to see ServiceTitan in action? Click here to book a demo. 

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one software solution that's designed to help service companies improve their operations, increase revenue, and skyrocket the growth of their business. Our cloud-based tool is used by thousands of construction, HVAC, garage door, electrical, chimney sweep, and plumbing shops across the country. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a mentor in construction?

A mentor is a more experienced individual who provides guidance and support to a less experienced person, helping the latter develop their skills and advance professionally. They help mentees identify strengths and weaknesses and provide feedback that encourages growth.

How do I find a construction mentor?

You can find a construction mentor by connecting with professionals in the construction industry. Use platforms like LinkedIn or industry-specific events, workshops, or conferences to connect with professionals who could mentor you in your industry.

What are the 3 C's of mentoring?

The 3 C's of mentoring are commitment, communication, and clarity, necessary components for effective mentorship.