The challenge

VetPartners operates a network of clinics and specialty hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. They support graduates entering clinical practice through their Graduate Academy Program.

To strengthen this program, VetPartners identified an opportunity to further support in-clinic mentors. While mentors brought strong clinical expertise, there was variation in experience when it came to coaching and mentoring graduates, particularly in supporting both clinical and human skills during their transition into the workforce.

VetPartners engaged CCE to deliver structured, up-to-date training to support a more consistent approach to mentoring and coaching across their clinics.

Our solution

CCE delivered a tailored Coaching Skills for Mentors course to 40 participants, facilitated by Eleanor Shakiba. The program was customised to meet VetPartners’ specific needs and focused on practical coaching approaches relevant to the clinical environment.

Two sessions were delivered online via Zoom, each in a half-day format across two days.

Key areas covered included:

• when and how to coach
• coaching models and feedback
• solution-focused questioning
• reflective statements and reframing
• strengths-based coaching
• practical application

The sessions were highly interactive, with strong participation across both days. The half-day format supported attendance, with participants returning for the second session.

The customised content ensured relevance to participants’ roles, allowing them to connect directly with the material and apply it in practice. Participants brought a high level of motivation to the training and engaged well in discussions and activities, including role play.

The outcome

Feedback from participants was very positive, with mentors reporting greater confidence in handling conversations with graduates, including more challenging situations.

The training provided practical techniques that were applied immediately in day-to-day clinic work. Mentors adopted new approaches to guide graduates toward their own solutions, rather than providing answers, helping to shift the dynamic of these interactions.

Participants highlighted the value of the customised content, noting it reflected their working environment and made the learning directly applicable. The sessions were highly engaging, with strong participation across both days and a high level of motivation from attendees.

Mentors also valued the opportunity to build their coaching capability and approach their role in a more structured way. The training has supported them to engage more effectively with graduates and approach conversations with greater clarity and confidence.