Intercultural Career Mentoring Program
Intercultural Career Mentoring Program
Program Structure
Expressions of Interest to mentor in the 2024 program will be open from 13 May - 21 June 2024
The Faculty of Engineering and IT are delighted to announce the launch the 2024 Intercultural Career Mentoring Program!
This program aims to connect our alumni with current students, with a focus on global career readiness. We are seeking mentors from a range of Engineering & IT disciplines and cultural backgrounds, who are interested in learning more about cross cultural communication and giving back to students from diverse backgrounds.
The program consists of two parts.
Mentoring for Local and Global Knowledge-Training
This training is provided to mentors free-of-charge as part of the program. It will help to inform your mentoring, will also provide you with valuable training that will benefit you in your career more broadly.
The session will be delivered by Project Global Citizen and will integrate University of Melbourne and AHRI (Australian Human Resources Institute) mentoring guidelines with Cultural Intelligence. During the session participants will create their own personal cultural profile to highlight how their own cultural background influences many common behaviours. From here they will create templates for dealing respectfully with people whose cultural background differs from their own. The session will involve activities designed to clearly demonstrate the differences that are usually unconsciously disregarded or assumed to be non-existent.
Outcomes for participants of this session are:
- To be able to identify their own personal cultural orientation.
- To be able to anticipate when differences may call for a modification in behaviour, or not. (Rather than mandating change for changes sake)
- To create strategies that can be applied to working effectively in multicultural teams.
- Upskill your awareness of intercultural interactions, developing your leadership skills in this area
Students will also complete a Cultural Intelligence training course prior to the commencement of the mentoring component of the program.
Mentoring
Following the completion of the Cultural Intelligence Training, mentors will be allocated to groups comprising three mentors and approximately ten students. Mentors will get to meet their mentees at a mentor and mentee workshop event. This event is an opportunity for introductions, getting to know your group, and to join an online group together to communicate over the following weeks.
The formal program will conclude with a networking event in September, providing the opportunity for a final check in between mentors and mentees, as well as an opportunity to network across other mentoring groups. This will provide mentors with a broader opportunity to connect with both our students as well as other mentors. Of course, we encourage the development of ongoing connections beyond the program too!
Dates and Details
The following training and events for this program will take place in person on the University of Melbourne campus. We ask that you make yourself available for the three in-person events to make the most of this program.
- Thursday 18 July 2024
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6:00pm - 8:00pm (Melbourne Time)
Mentoring for Local and Global Knowledge
Cross-cultural training delivered by Project Global Citizen.
Location: Rooms M13 + M14, Mezzanine, Melbourne Connect Building (700 Swanston Street)
- Thursday 25 July 2024
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6:00pm - 8:00pm (Melbourne Time)
Group Mentoring Introduction and Workshop
An opportunity to meet your mentees and fellow mentors for the first time.
Location: The Forum, Mezzanine, Melbourne Connect Building (700 Swanston Street)
- 26 July - 12 September 2024
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Online engagement
Mentors and mentees will interact online using a mutually-agreed platform to continue the mentoring experience.
- Thursday 12 September 2024
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5:30pm - 8:30pm (Melbourne Time)
Networking Night
A final in-person catch up with your group, plus an opportunity to network with other mentors, students and University staff.
Location: The Forum, Mezzanine, Melbourne Connect Building (700 Swanston Street)
How to Participate
To apply to participate as a mentor, please fill out the Expression of Interest form.
Expression of Interest for Mentors 2024
We are looking for people with an engineering or IT background, who are keen to engage with current students, interested or experienced in working across cultures and available in Melbourne on the above dates. Whether you are a recent graduate, or someone with 30 years experience, if you’re keen to share your experiences with our students and meet like-minded professionals, we welcome your application to join this program as a mentor.
Applications will be open between 13 May and 21 June 2024, 11:59pm.
For further information please email engit-studentenrich@unimelb.edu.au