What is the UOW Mentoring Program?
When UOW students stand on the threshold of their career, having someone in their corner to help them find their way can change everything. You could be that someone for a UOW student. Share your experience and success by taking part in the UOW Mentoring Program.
The program matches mentors with current UOW students who require a little extra support and are eager to gain insight into the opportunities and challenges of working in your industry.
What's involved
- It runs over 8 weeks
- We match you, the experienced mentor, with a current UOW student eager to engage and gain insight into the opportunities and challenges of working in your workplace or industry
- You and your mentee agree on the amount of time you spend together within that period, making it work for both of you, with a minimum of 4 - 5 hours contact
- Then you follow that agreement together - learning, networking and engaging with each other
Training
Training will be provided in addition to the knowledge and skills you bring from your years of experience working in the field. We will also host a mid-point session for mentees, that alumni are welcome to attend.
What's in it for you
It is now recognised that modern mentoring can benefit mentors as much as those that they mentor. Such benefits include:
- Satisfying the natural human desire to share knowledge and experience.
- Achieve satisfaction: for some mentors, having a mentee succeed and eventually become a friend and colleague, is one of their greatest joys.
- Develop your professional network: in making contacts for your mentees, you strengthen your own contacts and make new ones.
- Extend your contribution: the results of good mentoring live after you, as former mentees continue to contribute even after you have moved on.
Note: Mentors and mentees will be matched based on responses to the application form. Not all mentors that apply with be matched as we want to provide students with the best possible mentor match. In this phase of the program we are happy to have alumni from regions that surround the Illawarra, however ideally mentors would be able to make it to the orientation session held in Wollongong. Meetings with students are welcome to be conducted via phone or Skype.
Key Dates
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 19 July | Applications open |
| 4 August | Applications close |
| Mid-August | Email notification to successful and unsuccessful applicants |
| 22 August | Orientation (training & meet and greet) |
| 26 August | Mentoring officially commences - student to submit Mentoring Agreement online. Mentoring Agreement sets out the way you will communicate and which project you will work on together. |
| 2 September - 29 September | Work on Career Action Plan or Graduate Job Application. Provide feedback on the chosen task and discuss progress of the mentoring experience. |
| 23 September | Mid-point survey |
| 30 September - 6 October | Break - Student recess |
| 7 October - 25 October | Work on Career Action Plan or Graduate Job Application. Provide feedback on the chosen task and discuss progress of the mentoring experience. |
| 25 October | Program close |
| Week commencing 28 October Date TBA |
Wrap-up event |
| 3 November | Complete post program feedback. Students to submit project and reflective journal. |
Applications have closed for the Spring 2019 intake.
Express your interest online
Program applications will open again later this year. In the meantime you can express your interest in participating. Simply fill out the expression of interest form and you will receive an SMS on the day that program applications open.