The pilot mentorship initiative invited experienced professionals from the Indian community to mentor newcomers and assist them in their career development
Professionals from various sectors including IT, Engineering, Teaching, Banking, Retail and Supply Chain volunteered to mentor newcomers. Asmita Lawrence led this initiative with invaluable support from the Vancouver Indian Forum. The program cycle was from January 2021 to June 2021. Orientation and training sessions were organized with support of Taruna Goel, a seasoned Learning and Development Professional. Mentors were provided with resources to formulate action plans with their matched mentees. Newcomer applicants were registered, and ten mentees were shortlisted in this pilot to be matched with mentors. Vishwas Jaggi facilitated the introductions session for all the mentees.
Heartfelt thanks to the volunteer mentors and the team of professionals who coordinated the initiative and offered training.
The closing meetup was planned on July 10th and attendees appreciated the top tips for newcomers presented by Swati Bagga at this meeting. Swati also shared her personal experiences and suggested practical next steps. Two teams of mentor-mentee presented their experiences of the pilot. Ankish Jain mentored Dinesh Kumar attributing their success to a structured approach and highlighting the importance of planning and clearly identifying the goals, objectives, and scope. Mrugesh Patel mentored Raunak Basak and shared that the strength of their professional relationship based on good communication and trust building was key for successful teamwork.
The next intake of mentees and volunteer mentors will open in January 2022. Asmita and this team will continue to coordinate the mentorship program supported by the Vancouver Indian Forum. “This forum offers a platform for building professional connections and our goal is to support precisely such initiatives in the Indian community,” said Neeraj Kumar, founder of the Vancouver Indian Forum.