More than 260 women working in the media have applied to take part in Women in Media’s 2020 mentoring program.
WiM has forged an exciting new partnership with Brancher – an evidence-based virtual mentoring platform that connects compatible mentees and mentors and provides them with personalised support and structures to allow them to reach their potential.
National Mentoring Lead Cathie Schnitzerling
Women in Media and Brancher received 265 applications for the mentoring program – 96 would-be mentors and 169 women seeking mentoring.
Of the 265 people who registered their interest the program, 207 opted for peer-to-peer mentoring too which will be offered to successful applicants.
In total, there are 64 mentoring pairs including six in ACT, 17 in NSW, two in NT, 21 in QLD, three in SA, 7 in VIC, 8 in WA. Tasmania was the launch site for the pilot program.
The people participating in the program are diverse:
Age: mentees range from 18 to 59 years old, while mentors also range from 24 years old to 60+.
Career stage: mentees range from those fresh in the workforce (0 – 2 years experience) to CEO/managing director level. Mentors range from those with five years of experience up to board members. We also have self-employed, chief executive officers, and freelancers in the program.
Media sectors: Mentees and mentors are from a variety of areas including: content maker; cross-platform; digital; print; public relations, communications, and marketing; radio; and television.
Industries: While all participants work in the media, they ply their skills in a variety of industries. Mentees are drawn from agriculture, building/construction, education, entertainment, finance/insurance, government, health care, hospitality/tourism, information services, or professional services. Mentors are employed in agriculture, education, energy, entertainment, government, healthcare, information services, professional services, or retail sectors.
Location preference: The majority of participants (94%) opted to be paired with a mentee/mentor who is the best fit for them, regardless of where they are based. As a result, mentees and mentors have been paired all across Australia so they will take advantage of technology for ‘virtual mentoring’.
From August 3, 2020, all applicants will be contacted and learn the outcome of their application.
The 2020 mentoring program is offered exclusively to Women in Media Australia members.