Candidates for the six-month Global Mentorship Programme may now submit applications to the scheme’s website, according to Jean-Guy de Gabriac, CEO of Tip Touch International spa consultancy and a leader of the educational initiative alongside Deborah Smith, principal of Smith Club & Spa Specialists – a US-based wellness consultancy.

The pilot version of the programme that lasted three months has ended and the six-month scheme will begin in November 2015, once spa mentees and manager mentors have been selected.

“Applicants can sign up and register that they want to be a part of the programme until July on the website, www.mentorshipevidence.com,” de Gabriac told Spa Opportunities. “This site is a one-stop shop to links for resources, articles and video interviews of spa mentees revealing pearls of wisdom to potential spa mentees looking to further their career. We’re working on a number of these videos, in addition to a google map showing the different locations of mentors and mentees globally.”

The framework for competency development that is followed by pairs of mentors and mentees is based on the International Spa Association’s (ISPA) list of core management competencies.

The programme was first announced at the 2014 Global Wellness Summit (GWS), in response to the GWS’s Spa Management Education Committee survey – which found that 94 per cent of spa managers believe a good mentor is important to a successful spa career. The ISPA list was identified as the ideal list for the mentorship programme.

Findings from the inaugural year of the programme will be reported at the 2015 GWS in Mexico City between 13-15 November.