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This conceptual paper examines mentoring practices aimed at supporting university lecturers in the development of scholarly writing skills. Recognizing that the ability to publish in academic journals is critical to professional growth and institutional contribution, the study explores how mentoring serves as a strategic tool to enhance lecturers' academic writing capacities. Guided by the main research question—"What mentoring practices are employed to support university lecturers in the development of scholarly writing "skills?"—the study adopts a qualitative approach grounded in the interpretive paradigm. Data were collected through an extensive review of existing literature on academic mentorship and scholarly writing support within higher education contexts. Thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns and strategies that characterize effective mentoring relationships, including peer mentoring, writing workshops, structured feedback mechanisms, and institutional support programs. Findings highlight the importance of context-sensitive mentoring practices that address both the technical and emotional aspects of academic writing. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for universities to institutionalize mentoring frameworks that foster sustainable writing cultures. This study contributes to the broader discourse on academic development and offers insights for policymakers, academic leaders, and faculty development practitioners seeking to enhance scholarly productivity among university lecturers.

This qualitative study explores the role of TVET leaders in enabling career development through sponsorship. Drawing on an inductive approach and a case study design, this study captures Heads of Departments’ and lecturers’ perspectives on TVET leaders’ suitability to provide career sponsorship. The social capital theory of career success, the social exchange theory, and Ang’s sponsorship model were used to provide context and perspective in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 20 participants (6 TVET HODs and 14 lecturers) were conducted across 6 public TVET colleges in South Africa. Transcripts were uploaded onto ATLAS.ti software. Data from the transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal a dual narrative: while HODs occupy strategically influential positions and display latent capabilities that could enable meaningful career sponsorship, their ability to actualise this role is significantly constrained. TVET leaders were found to be under-resourced, insufficiently supported, inadequately trained, and lacking in essential leadership competencies and well-being. These limitations weaken trust, restrict reciprocal professional relationships, and ultimately hinder the institutionalisation of career sponsorship practices. This study recommends the urgent professionalisation of TVET leadership, including structured leadership development, improved resourcing, and policy mechanisms that formalise sponsorship as a human resource development strategy. Strengthening leadership capacity and embedding sponsorship practices could enhance lecturers’ morale, retention, and career progression, improve organisational performance, and contribute to a more robust and competitive TVET sector

The role of academic mentoring has now become a crucial educational practice not only for student’s academic success and achievement, but also, faculties development and institutional growth. However, the effectiveness of mentoring process is difficult to measure due to a lack of conceptual clarity about the mentoring practices and programs in higher education institutions. In South African universities, mentoring practices face unique challenges and opportunities due to the country’s historical background. Therefore, this literature review conceptualizes academic mentoring by looking at the programs, methods and outcomes associated with academic mentoring in South African universities. An Integrative Qualitative Analysis was employed to review a total of 13 studies that was conducted between 2016 and 2024, and identify three themes namely; Impacts of academic mentoring on student’s performance, Roles of cultural and linguistic diversity on enhancing academic mentoring, and Significance for Integrating mentoring practices into institutional policies. Findings provide a foundation for future research and offer practical recommendations for enhancing academic mentoring practices in South African universities.