WiT Mentoring Program: Information for Mentees
Our world is everchanging. The uncertainty of the past few years in particular has highlighted the importance of actively shaping pathways forward in both our careers and how we live – responding to, building on, and growing with whatever may come. Because, even though it doesn’t always seem like it’s possible, we continually have an opportunity to reflect, adapt and reinvent the way we work and the lifestyles we lead.
The 12-week WiT mentoring program pairs you with a STEM leader who will guide you to identify the challenges, opportunities, and motivations that are unique to you. The program combines a structured course framework approach, with the added flexibility to tailor your weekly mentoring sessions to address specific support needs.
Registrations will open soon for the 2024 Cohort 2 intake kicking off on 18th July 2024.
The benefits of having a mentor
Mentors are an invaluable source of expertise and guidance to help you to better understand who you are, how you work and how you perceive yourself and your abilities. Their unique perspective can help you better understand your strengths, undertake opportunities you may not have previously considered or inspire you to follow your curiosity and explore what’s possible for you.
Mentors can guide you to define ‘success’ in a way that’s unique, relevant and meaningful to you – empowering you to actively shape pathways forward towards career aspirations or #lifegoals that align with your values and what’s most important to you in life
Because, when we actively work to reshape and refocus our path ahead, this is when true impact can be made.
How does the program work?
Whether you are just starting your career, returning to the workforce, navigating a career change, stepping up into leadership, at a crossroad in your career journey or someone who needs guidance on how to make networking and relationship-building work for them; the 12-week WiT mentoring program will empower you identify the challenges, opportunities, motivations, values, short-term goals and longer-term aspirations that are unique to you.
Paired with a mentor that is best suited to journey alongside you, this program offers the opportunity to find clarity and pay attention to the things that matter to you, all the while building life-long connections.
The program is open to all STEM professionals who are curious, driven, self-motivated, and open to the possibilities their future career holds.
Program outline
Your sense of curiosity, passion for learning, and desire to connect will help you to get the most out of this program and your mentoring relationship.
Week 1 kicks-off with a full-day foundational in-person workshop for mentees. This workshop sets the foundations of your mentoring journey by empowering you to better understand yourself and help you jump into the program with ease.
You must attend this workshop in order to be able to participate in the program
You’ll learn how the program works, understand your role and responsibilities as a mentee and dive deep to uncover your unique visions and aspirations for your career and life, and why they are so important and meaningful to you.
You’ll also be guided by our facilitator Lauren Pollock to deepen your understanding of the relevant and meaningful outcomes you are working towards on this program and help you find clarity in your thinking.
Week 2
Following the workshop, our facilitators will match mentees and mentors based on their observations during the kick-off workshops and the responses to online questionnaire you will be asked to complete when you register. Mentor and mentee pairings will be announced a week after the workshop.
Weeks 3 – 12 is where the fun is at.
At the start of each week, you will receive a topic for the week via the WiT Mentoring Teams Channel, where you will find information, resources, and tasks to take to your one-on-one sessions with your mentor.
In your mentoring sessions you may choose to focus on the theme for that week, or tailor the conversations toward a meaningful goal you are working towards, or issues and challenges that may have come up at work since you last connected (or a combination of the above!). Don’t be afraid to go ‘off-script’ if your discussions lead to mutually beneficial knowledge and idea sharing on other topics. The weekly themes are there to help guide and shape your mentoring conversations.
At fortnightly intervals throughout this program, we will all gather for an online coffee check in to share our experiences so far, and provide guidance, feedback and support to everyone involved.
And then, before you know it, it is the final week and we close with a collective breakfast to celebrate our successes and debrief on the entire experience.
Your investment
To become a mentee on the WiT 12-week mentoring program is
$350Â for WiT Members
$450 for Non-WiT Members
Unsure if your organisation is a WiT member?
Use the links below to find out if your organisation is a WiT Member.
Our medium and small business members
Members make our world go round
If your organisation is not a member, you can become an individual WiT member for $99 per year to access WiT member benefits and member pricing. That’s only $8.25 per month – cheaper than your monthly Netflix subscription (and much more fulfilling for your brain!).
Next Steps
- When dates are released, book your place and complete the online questionnaire that will be sent to you shortly after registering. Please complete the questionnaire prior to attending the face-to-face workshop (Date to be advised).
- Save the date and time of the workshop (once released)Â in your calendar, diary, smartphone, computer (or whatever you use to keep reminders and appointments!)
- Come to the mentee workshop with a curious mind, ready to begin your 12-week mentoring journey.
