Mentoring

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The ASTTBC ITP Mentorship Program
is fully operational!

ASTTBC and the Immigrant Employment Council of C (IEC-BC) signed an MOU establishing a mentorship program jointly administered and delivered through a co-operation arrangement between our two organizations in November
2012

The first group of eight mentor-mentee teams has now completed their four months together, and they report excellent results!  ASTTBC wishes to thank all the participants in this pilot group:  mentors, mentees, the coaches from S.U.C.C.E.S.S., MOSAIC and ISSofBC, and the coordinators from IEC-BC.

ASTTBC continues to recruit qualified mentors, primarily from its membership pool, and IEC-BC will match them with mentees in their professional fields.

As well, ASTTBC will accept applications for mentorship from prospective mentees.

ASTTBC members have been volunteering as mentors for years, in an ad-hoc, informal capacity.  Now we have formalized the arrangements, through the MOU.  Here’s the program overview:

  • Participation is voluntary
  • Members are recruited by ASTTBC
  • Mentees are identified by Immigrant Service Agencies and by ASTTBC directly
  • Matches are discipline-specific
  • Time commitment is 24 hours, spread out over 4 months
  • Meetings are set based on the timetables of both parties
  • Meetings should be face-to-face as often as possible

For a complete overview of the program, download the Mentoring Program Guide here.

Watch this 6-minute video to see how Mentoring can improve your life, as a Mentor or as a Mentee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqKXjitAtIs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Could YOU be a mentor?

Very likely! Mentors are established professionals who are motivated to develop a supportive, professional relationships with ITP mentees. Here are the criteria:

  •  Have minimum 3 years professional experience as a CTech, AScT or P.Eng.
  •  Possess detailed industry and sector knowledge and networks
  •  Demonstrate strong communication skills
  •  Possess coaching characteristics and traits
  •  Commit to making time for the mentoring relationship

If you volunteer as a mentor, you will be asked to attend an orientation session, as are mentees. Session topics include:

  •  The mentorship program itself
  •  Opportunities and benefits for mentors
  •  Becoming a mentor
  •  The mentoring relationship
  •  Cross-cultural considerations
  •  Tips for intercultural communications

Download the Mentor Handbook pdf here.

Do you wish to be mentored, to be a Mentee?

Do You conform to the following criteria?

  • You arrived in Canada within the past 5 years
  • You are underemployed or unemployed
  • You possess intermediate to advanced level English skills, having demonstrated at least Canadian Language Benchmark Level 6 (equivalent to Canadian Grade 8 English)
  • You have certification and/or a minimum of three years experience in your area of expertise, very likely outside Canada
  • You are committed to finding employment
  • You have supports in place (transportation, childcare, and other supports) required to function at work

And do you have:

  • A clear job goal and the skills, experience, credentials and language abilities required to
  • succeed in the work place
  • A job search ready resume, interview skills, networking skills, etc.

If so, please download the Mentee Application form by clicking the link below.  Carefully follow all the instructions.  ASTTBC will ensure that all information provided by Mentors and Mentees is held in strict confidence, fully compliant with all requirements of the Canada Privacy Act.

Download the Mentee Handbook pdf here.

To download and process an Application Form:

Follow these instructions carefully to download, complete and save the application form:

Please read ALL these instructions before proceeding!

  • Click the link below for the appropriate (Mentor or Mentee) application form pdf.
  • Save a copy to your desktop.  Rename it as indicated on the form: <<MyName>>_MentorAppl.pdf (for Mentors)
  • Open the pdf and click on the ‘Sign’ button, on the top toolbar; between ‘Tools’ and ‘Comment’
  • An ‘I Need To Sign’ side-bar will appear to the right of the document.  Ignore it until you’ve completed the form
  • Fill in as many of the text and check fields as you can – we need a very complete form
  • When you’ve completed the form, click the ‘Done Signing’ icon in the ‘I Need To Sign’ sidebar
  • Click the Confirm button in the pop-up
  • Do NOT send it to the Cloud if prompted!
  • Click the Save button to save your completed and signed form with the default filename:  <<MyName>>_MentorAppl-signed.pdf or <<MyName>>_MenteeAppl-signed.pdf

Once completed and saved, you must email your application form pdf to the ASTTBC Mentor Program Coordinator (see below) who will check it over and pass it along to IEC-BC.  Please also include your latest résumé (C.V.) with the application pdf when you email it to the ASTTBC Coordinator.

Click here for the Mentor Application form

Click here for the Mentee Application form

Here’s what IEC-BC says about mentoring: It’s a Win, Win, Win Situation!

To paraphrase the IEC-BC mentoring program guide:

When you think about it, the notion of bringing together ITP newcomers and successful technology professionals works in so many ways. ASTTBC members represent employers who, through the mentorship program, may have access to a skilled, affordable pool of talent, and mentors enhance their leadership skills. Mentees integrate, network and have an exponentially higher chance of finding the right job, at the optimum entry level in the discipline of their education, training and previous experience. On a macro scale, more jobs means reduced unemployment and a bolstered economy.

For more information on this program please contact the ASTTBC Mentoring Coordinator:

Geoff Sale, AScT
Manager, Internationally Trained Professionals Program,
Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC)
gsale@asttbc.org

Page update Apr 09, 2013