Being a Mentor or a Coach—SINDA's Key to Personal Growth

Introduction

Younger millennials and Gen Z are estimated to make up ~30% of the global workforce by 2025. As a part of a huge influx of young people joining the labor force, it is necessary to provide the ideal training and guidance to help them make informed decisions. In lieu of promoting the hustle culture, my philosophy has been to help the youth aim for holistic development, to not only thrive in the career domain but also in their social, financial, community, and psychophysical well-being. Mentors are important not only because of the knowledge they impart but also because they can provide professional and personal support to mentees. Such individual attention early in the career can help identify students’ strengths and areas of improvement. I am passionate about developing talent early in people’s careers. In my career spanning three decades, I have been fortunate enough to be able to guide many individuals, especially Indian tertiary students.?

The importance of early-in-career mentoring/coaching in today’s workforce?

In today's fast-paced and dynamic work environment, it is essential for young talent to be well-prepared and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen career paths. In my experience, I have observed mentees, especially those fresh out of university, often require the attention and guidance of their managers during their first six months to two years on the job to adjust to corporate life effectively. This need, perhaps, arises out of the discrepancy between the educational curriculum and the requirements of the job market.?

A 2018 report by the Brookings Institution found that employers increasingly value "soft skills," such as teamwork, communication, and critical thinking, but these skills are often not emphasized enough in traditional educational settings. The report noted that while many schools and universities focus on technical skills and subject-specific knowledge, they often need to pay more attention to teaching the broader, transferable skills that employers are looking for. Similar findings are highlighted through a survey by Gallup that showed millennials who received regular feedback and guidance from their managers were 3.5 times more likely to be engaged in their work than those who didn't. Even in the remote work setting, similar issues could be noted. But the youth need not be discouraged by these statistics. The essential point is that these skills are easy to master with consistent practice and guidance.?

SINDA’s initiatives?

Keeping these issues in mind, here at SINDA, we have formulated multiple initiatives to equip our youth with the necessary skills. These include ITEnable (ITE Aspire and ITE Inspire), Youth Enable, and SINDA’s mentoring programs. Primary, we have four styles of mentoring. Viz-a-viz., Mentor Me program, corporate mentorship, career mentoring, and peer mentorship.?

As a part of ITEnable, SINDA holds career and corporate mentoring workshops with the salient feature of engaging in hand-on-activities. Here, the youth gets to interact with industry professionals, get an idea about their working environment and even try some of the activities they do on a day-to-day basis. The idea is to help our participants find career pathways that align with their value system and are adequately engaging. Moreover, SINDA offers subsidized rates for students in need. These workshops happen in rotation throughout the year, and information regarding the same is updated on our website.?

SINDA has also initiated the Mentor Me program in the year 2019 with the goal of addressing the educational and career needs of tertiary students. This is a relatively longer engagement (5 months) and offers individualised attention. SINDA’s Mentor Me is a career mentoring program that matches students with professionals in their respective fields to provide valuable guidance and advice for their future careers. The program aims to solve the challenges that young people often face, such as uncertainty about their career paths or a lack of motivation and clarity.

The idea is to scaffold the student's needs with the guidance of suitable industry professionals who are mentors. Mentor Me focuses on the holistic development of students, including SIET's recipients, to help them achieve their educational and career goals. The program offers skill-building activities and workshops to develop soft and life skills and identifies role models for the youth. It also accommodates large participation and provides platforms such as workshops and group mentoring for youth club members. The mentorship program is essential for young people as it helps them navigate their way toward their goals and shapes their perspectives, enabling them to make informed decisions.

This is a five-month-long endeavour wherein the mentors and mentees will interact (face-to-face/virtual) at least twice a month. SINDA’s Youth Division has structured the program with a resource package, including monthly log sheets and checklists.?

Some other items in the kit are

1. Delineated Roles and responsibilities
2. Communication Guidelines
3. 10 suggested topics to serve as a progressive guide for mentors during their monthly face-to-face / virtual mentoring sessions with mentees
4. Schedule suitable career enrichment workshops

This program aims to help students be competent and future-ready and motivate them to be mentors for the upcoming generation.?

Conclusion

Early-in-career mentoring/coaching is essential in today's fast, agile, creative, and hands-on work environment to help young talent succeed in their chosen career paths. At SINDA, we have developed various programs to equip young people with the necessary skills, including the Mentor Me program, which connects students with professionals in their respective fields to provide guidance and advice. I invite you to support my LinkedIn channel by liking, sharing, and subscribing and to consider becoming a mentor using this link https://www.sinda.org.sg/youth/mentorme/ to help shape the perspectives of the next generation of professionals. If you're a young individual seeking mentorship, you can register for the Mentor Me program by visiting the website "Mentor Me | SINDA - A Brighter Future Together" through the provided link. Let us collaborate to promote early talent development and assist young people in achieving their objectives.

Sources

1. https://www.sinda.org.sg/youth/actpresso/?
2. https://www.sinda.org.sg/volunteer/mentormevol/?
3. https://www.sinda.org.sg/education/alevel-tuition/?
4. https://www.nga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NGAStateGuide_FWN.pdf?
5. https://unrubble.com/Blog/managing-millennials-young-employees?
6. https://www.brookings.edu/research/bridging-the-soft-skills-gap-how-to-teach-the-skills-employers-want/
7. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236358/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx
8. https://lp.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work-2020
9. https://www.zurich.com/en/media/magazine/2022/how-will-gen-z-change-the-future-of-work?