Built into our everyday: growing talent through on-the-job mentoring 

Heidi and Naomi, let’s start with the foundations. What does mentoring look like at Actemium? 

Heidi Smith:
At Actemium M&E, mentoring is an integral part of our ethos. I call it ‘built into our everyday’. We currently have seven graduates on formal mentoring programmes, but in reality mentoring goes far beyond that. More than 15% of our workforce are apprentices, and every single one of them is supported through ongoing mentoring. 

What makes this particularly powerful is that many of our senior leaders came through the same route themselves. They’ve experienced the value of mentoring first-hand, so they’re fully committed to supporting the next generation. 

Naomi Bradley-Knight:
It’s very similar at Actemium Automation. We run structured mentoring as part of our graduate programme, which is now in its third year, and we also offer mentoring through the VINCI Energies Elevate, Leadership and Accelerator programmes. 

Alongside this, there’s a huge amount of informal mentoring happening organically every day. People naturally share knowledge, support each other and help colleagues develop – it’s very much part of our daily lived culture. 

So why is mentoring so important to Actemium? 

Heidi:
Well, classroom learning alone isn’t enough, especially in our industry. Real skills are built on the job, through practical experience. Mentoring is how we pass on not just technical knowledge, but also our values, our approach to quality, and our commitment to health and safety. 

It ensures our customers receive a consistent, high-quality service, and it gives apprentices and graduates a genuine career at the end of their programme. For many people, it truly transforms their lives and future prospects. 

Naomi:
Mentoring also recognises that everyone is at a different stage of their career – and that everyone has something valuable to share. In automation, for example, technology is evolving rapidly, but we also work with a lot of legacy hardware and software as well as the very latest hardware and software. 

Unless we mentor our people to deal with what’s really out there in the field, we can’t deliver the quality solutions or trusted advisor role our customers expect from us. 

There are many companies out there that offer mentoring. What makes Actemium’s approach to different? 

Heidi:
We genuinely invest in our people. I often compare it to learning to drive – you can pass your test, but you don’t truly learn to drive until you gain experience on the road. 

Mentoring allows our colleagues to learn safely, on the job, guided by experienced professionals who understand real working environments. One of the most rewarding things for me is seeing someone who maybe struggled at school go on to build a successful career here. The only limits are their ambition and willingness to work hard. 

Naomi:
And mentoring at Actemium isn’t just about technical skills. It’s also about communication, navigating workplace situations and looking after wellbeing. Sometimes the most valuable thing a mentor can offer is an impartial, supportive voice when things get challenging. It is what we do and how we look out for each other. 

What’s the business value of mentoring, and how does it work in practice in your perimeters? 

Naomi:
There’s definitely a recruitment benefit – mentoring is attractive to candidates. But beyond that, it’s about business continuity and consistency. Our service is delivered by people, so we need them to feel supported, developed and invested in. 

For our graduate programme, mentors are carefully selected. If a pairing isn’t working, we’re flexible – we change it. We want relationships that genuinely work. Mentors receive training on our programme and the graduate experience, and we hold monthly mentor catch-ups to share insights and provide ongoing support. 

Heidi:
From a business point of view, mentoring is essential to how we develop people at Actemium. Much of what we do is learned on the job – so having the right support in place helps new starters build confidence quickly and apply their skills in real situations.

In practice, we usually match mentors and mentees based on clear goals – whether that’s onboarding support, skills development or succession planning. That way we ensure people have guidance from someone who can genuinely support their development. Because when colleagues feel supported, they’re far more likely to stay, grow and build a long-term career with us, benefiting both our teams and our customers.

So, what feedback do you get from your mentors and mentees across the business? 

Naomi:
We regularly gather feedback from our graduates on the whole programme, and mentoring always features strongly. We ask what’s it’s working and whether people feel supported – and we learn and adapt based on what we hear. 

That continuous feedback helps us build a strong, supportive culture, which ultimately leads to a more successful business. 

Heidi:
For me, the results speak for themselves. Many of the apprentices and graduates we recruit stay with us long-term, grow their careers and progress into senior roles – some with Actemium and some even within our parent company, VINCI Energies. That’s a strong sign that our approach is working, and it gives us both the confidence and motivation to keep investing in our people. 

Interested in joining a business that invests in its people? Follow the link below to see our current vacancies.