As part of activities lined up for the upcoming HR Focus Conference and Awards 2017, HR Focus has rolled out another industry first, dubbed “HR Mentorship Masterclass.

It was themed: “Building a Sustainable HR profession through Knowledge Sharing.”

A host of 22 senior HR practitioners engaged in a leadership mentoring programme for over 80 emerging HR practitioners and students, many of whom aspire to become HR practitioners.

The objective of the programme was to create a platform that brings two generations of HR practitioners together to engage in knowledge acquisition and transfer and explore innovative ways of creating people advantage for their organisations.

Presentations, panel discussions, and mentoring sessions focused on the need for senior HR practitioners to identify, train, mentor and develop the next generation of leaders so they can contribute value to the bottom line, and also, the need for Millennials to position themselves to be relevant to the business.

Participants were taken through current and evolving trends in the HR profession; what it takes to the contribute to the value creation process as an HR practitioner; how to align the Millennial workforce and integrate them into the company’s culture, and develop a system of succession planning for their organisations by identifying and preparing high potential leaders.

Internationally renowned motivational speaker and leadership consultant, Rev.  Celia Apeagyei-Collins and Mrs. Stella Agyenim-Boateng, HR Consultant, GLICO gave keynote presentations on: “Leading and mentoring the next generation of leaders” and “AligningMillennials with evolving trends in the world of work,” respectively.

Rev. Celia Apeagyei Collins stressed the need for intentional mentoring as it has the direct impact on the bottom line.

On her part, Mrs. Stella Agyenim-Boateng threw light on the peculiar attributes of the Millennials and the diversity they bring to the workplace, and why it is imperative that HR practitioners leveraged their energy, organisation innovative prowess, and entrepreneurial flair to build aorganisation.

There was a panel discussion comprising: Mr. Kenneth Antwi, HR Director, OLAM Ghana; Mr. Kojo Amissah, Lead Consultant, CITAM; questionsfromHannah Ashiokai-Akrong, HR Director, Vodafone Ghana; and Rev. Celia Apeagyei-Collins, Founder and President, Rehoboth Foundation, UK. Moderated byDr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan, the panel members questions from the mentees regarding: the skills required to steer the HR profession in an increasingly complex business environment; the dual role of the HR profession (whether to love the people or to love the business) and some impediments to the success of HR professionals.

Speaking to Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan, Chief Executive of HR Focus Magazine, she said, “The HR profession, as it stands now, require HR practitioners to understand the weight of the challenge and also, wield the competencies critical to delivering results.”She added that this and more has made it necessary for senior HR practitioners to identify and prepare the next generation of HR leaders.

Each mentor was assigned four mentees, and they shared their life stories to serve as guide for mentees to identify the key competencies required to succeed in the HR profession; to identify the shortcomings of the profession in creating value for the business and how to overcome them, amongst others.

One of the mentors, Mr. Victor Mensah, CEO, Victor & Victors, a management consulting firm based in Zambia streamed live via video call and had a fruitful session with his mentees. Mr. Godwin Martey, CEO of Websoft Solutions, a software development company, also gave a brief presentation on how technology is revolutionising the world of HR.

There was student representation from Presbyterian University College, University of Ghana, GIMPA, Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), KNUST, Pentecost University, Wisconsin University, and University of Professional Studies (UPSA).

Participants were awarded certificates, and discounted coupons from EPP Bookshop.

The 2017 HR Mentorship Masterclass was sponsored by Vodafone Ghana.