IAWP Mentorship Program Supports Career Development for Workforce Professionals

The International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) is excited to announce the launch of its Mentoring Program. The Mentoring Program is designed to connect experienced Workforce Development Professionals with those seeking a greater understanding of one or more aspects of the Workforce Development Profession.

What is Mentoring?

The term mentor comes from the character, Mentor in Homer’s Odyssey. This character was the companion of Odysseus’ son and gave him guidance and advice while he was away from his home and family. Going back to antiquity, the purpose of a mentor is to take all the experience that they’ve accumulated throughout their career and life and transfer it to their mentee for their benefit.

The IAWP Mentoring Program is a partnership between an experienced Workforce Development Professional (the Mentor) and the candidate (Mentee) who desires additional professional knowledge, expertise or guidance. The candidate may be an individual who is new to the field or someone who is interested in exploring additional aspects of our profession.   The partnership is based on trust, respect and confidentiality. Through mentoring, the Mentor will guide, support, answer questions, provide referrals, and share experiences and known opportunities with the Mentee.  Although not required, many mentoring programs have recently evolved from face-to-face mentoring to virtual mentoring. This helps overcome geographical barriers and provides opportunities to connect through online platforms.

Time Commitment for Program

The mentoring relationship is intended to last one year, but it is hoped that the informal relationship will last a lifetime. For the duration of the program, mentors and mentees will coordinate on a meeting schedule to build their relationship and then decide on a goal. There are purposefully no strict programmatic requirements other than time investment. Mentees can decide on what type of goal they would like to work toward and or accomplish during the program.

Mentoring Program Agreement

Mentoring is a special partnership based on commitment to the mentoring process, common goals/expectations of the partnership, and mutual trust and respect. Mentoring is a “get and give” experience with the goal of providing a rich and rewarding experience for both partners. Once approved, we ask you to share your information through the Mentoring Program Agreement so we can match you in a mentoring relationship. Both you and your recommended mentor will have the opportunity to agree to the pairing before you are assigned to work together. 

Confidentiality

The information provided by the Mentee on their application is considered confidential and will only be reviewed by the Mentor and the Mentoring Committee. All written and oral communication between Mentors, Mentees, and Mentoring Committee is confidential and will not be disclosed without mutual consent.

To apply to become a Mentor please click here.

To apply to become a Mentee please click here.