IMarEST preparing to launch new mentoring service
M2M, IMarEST’s upcoming member-to-member mentoring programme, will aid young and experienced alike.
When Nicole Luque joined IMarEST in August 2024, one potential project caught her eye – a mentoring programme for IMarEST members. “It’s something that IMarEST members have been asking for. Coming in as the Learning and Development Manager, there was an opportunity to move that forward and make it a reality,” says Luque.
The programme will match members looking for mentorship with members willing to offer their support and guidance. The supporting platform will act like a match-making service, recommending members who have volunteered to mentor based on the mentee’s areas of interest. “It’s the mentee that takes the first step to connect with potential mentors. It gives them the autonomy to search and choose someone that they feel is going to suit them best,” Luque confirms.
A programme for all
Mentoring isn’t about providing a mentee with all the answers or doing the work for them. Rather, it’s about offering support that empowers the mentee to develop their skills, confidence, and insights. “It’s also about that personal connection, having someone who can help guide you and give you confidence,” explains Luque. For the mentor, it offers an opportunity to strengthen networks and develop leadership and coaching skills. “It’s [also] a priceless feeling being able to truly help someone,” she expands.
While the M2M programme will clearly benefit students and early career professionals, Luque stressed that the goal is to support anyone from any sector and at any stage of their career.
“Even if you’re established, it might be a case you’ve got a project coming up, and you want someone that’s had that experience to see how they handled it. Maybe you’ve just been promoted, and you get imposter syndrome and want a peer to confide in. Or if you’re working on your own and feeling secluded, and want to hear from someone going through the same to see how they manage.”
With the platform development underway, Luque is building a list of mentors: “We are quite fortunate that we’ve got a list of people interested in mentoring across different nationalities, but we’re always looking for more.”
Mentors need to be an active member of IMarEST and hold the Member or Fellow grade. “But as a person, someone with strong communication skills, someone who’s passionate, who wants to give back to their industry, and willing to give [up] their time to help someone develop, that’s the key thing,” states Luque. All sectors, roles, backgrounds, and experiences are welcome and “training will be provided”.
Mentees can register their interest in the programme before its launch later this year. With the programme aimed at all sectors, roles, and experience levels, there’s no restriction on who can sign up to be a mentee. “There is the opportunity to apply for IMarEST’s free student membership to gain access to mentoring,” Luque notes, for students who aren’t yet members.
Alongside a code of conduct that all members need to abide by, IMarEST will provide learning resources to help guide both through the mentoring process. For mentors, those resources will include guidance on having the first discussion with a mentee and how to stay in touch.
For mentees, it will include information on making that first step to connect with a mentor, setting goals and keeping track, and having conversations with mentors. “There will be resources at every step of the way through the programme,” concludes Luque.
If you are considering becoming an M2M mentor or mentee, you can express your interest on IMarEST’s mentoring page.
Tell us what you think about this article by joining the discussion on IMarEST Connect.
Newsletter Image: mentoring concept. Credit: Shutterstock; inline image: Nicole Luque. Credit: self.
