The value of mentoring for new teachers has been a topic of interest worldwide (Olsen et al. 2020). Effective mentoring promotes positive outcomes for all stakeholders: the new teachers, the school and the mentors themselves resulting in job satisfaction and retention in the workplace (Richmond et al., 2020). Thus, developing good, sustainable training programs for mentors has become a desired goal in many educational settings (Parker et al, 2021). The literature on mentoring point at the existence of multiple training models, using additional terms such as coaching, guiding, advising, supervising, supporting and more, all seeking to improve mentoring systems in the educational framework (Betlem et al. 2018). Mentor training programs are difficult to compare or evaluate due to differences in content, settings and cultures. Studies have shown that professionalization of mentoring training and creating partnerships promote co-construction of knowledge and provide optimal support for both mentors and mentees (Tonna et al. 2017; Wexler, 2019). There is need for context-sensitive mentor training, intervention training programs tailored for culture and context. This presentation will report on nine case studies from Promentors EU Erasmus project, which aimed to develop unique mentors training models for teachers. Nine colleges from Israel and four European universities participated in this project. Based on theories within Social Emotional Competence (SEC) (e.g., Collie, 2020), and on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model, and using qualitative case study methods of analysis (Hamilton & Cobett-Whittier, 2013) this study details objectives, curriculum and unique characteristics of mentor courses developed in the program. We investigated individual, organizational, and environmental factors related to the programs each college developed highlighting what specializes them from other more ‘traditional’ mentors’ courses. Findings show that the role of sociocultural context is crucial in creating effective sustainable mentor training programs that operate as a continuum between the academia (teacher preparation), teachers’ knowledge base, sense of preparedness and assimilation of new teachers in the workplace. It similarly contributes to the professional development of the mentors themselves. Ecological school culture and the surrounding socio-cultural context express the environments within which effective mentoring training and practices take place. We discuss the ways in which knowledge of mentoring training is distributed across different resources, places, organizations and in the culture of teaching. Implications highlight the value of context-sensitive mentor training, or intervention training programs tailored for cultures and contexts.

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