Leaders in Shaping the Future of Work: The Role of Mentors

If you’re a member of our community, you’d know that Mentorship is a concept we always feature in our social media posts, blogs, newsletters, and events. That’s because at Eskwelabs, mentorship is integral to our goal—to democratize education for the future of work. It’s not just a nice-to-have, but an essential component of a successful learning experience. Hence, we are committed to providing the best guidance and support to both our learners and mentors. It's this dedication to mentorship that sets us apart from other bootcamps.

Instructional Management Lead Den Briones and Chief of Staff Francine Tan share more insights on why every learner deserves the best guidance and support throughout their journey.

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Q: What is a mentor? What does it take to be a good mentor?

Francine: I think of mentors as gardeners. There is nothing more life-giving and soul energizing for a gardener than watching their crops and flowers grow. A thriving garden and bountiful harvest is what they live for. In the same way, mentors find deep joy in seeing their mentees succeed. They contribute to their mentees’ success by sharing their resources, time, connections, and experiences. How fast their gardens grow—or how fast and easily their mentees flourish—is a combination of these factors. 

I believe that a good mentor is someone who is fully present with their mentees. We can learn a lot from the poet Mary Oliver who once said, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Sharing resources, time, connections, and experiences will not reach full effectivity if these were shared passively and as if they were just items made accessible via a checklist. How will a mentor add context for what they are sharing with their mentees? So that their mentees will be able to both learn from what is being shared and feel empowered to make decisions for themselves, too. 

Q: What does it mean to be a mentor in the edtech space?

Den:  A mentor in this space should:

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Indeed, a mentor in the edtech space is not just a guide for learners but they are also leaders in shaping the future of work. As technology continues to reshape industries and transform the way we work, we need mentors who can guide learners through these changes.

Q: What are some key traits that exemplify effective leadership in a mentoring role?

Francine: It’s having the ability to understand their mentees deeply in order to co-create a definition of success with them. A mentor who exemplifies effective leadership will be able to drive their efforts strategically towards getting their mentees to their co-created definition of success. This mentor will also be able to measure how far the mentee has to go or if the mentee has reached the milestones they’ve been working towards. Then the cycle of growth can begin all over again.

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We ourselves are proud to have defined success in implementing one of the most comprehensive and effective mentorship programs in the industry—designed to help our learners thrive both personally and professionally. Over the years, we’ve cultivated and nurtured a community of dedicated and passionate mentors who are committed to helping our learners achieve their goals. By providing personalized guidance and support, our mentors play a big role in helping our learners navigate the challenges of the modern workplace. 

Through Den and Francine’s leadership, we conducted a Mentor Orientation Program last March 16 with 28 attendees. Not only was it an in-depth discussion of what they can expect as mentors in Eskwelabs, but it was also a great opportunity for them to connect with each other, share experiences, and build relationships that will help them support our learners better.

In this event, the following topics were discussed:

• Mentor Foundation 💪 - The logistics of being a mentor
• People-first training 🤗 - Psychosocial First Aid training, Disability Sensitivity training, and Cultural Sensitivity training
• Socials 🎊 - “Do you speak my language?” game and "What do you meme?" game

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Q: What resources or tools does Eskwelabs provide to mentors to support their mentoring relationship with their mentees?

Den: Eskwelabs provides mentors with several resources and tools to support their mentoring relationship with their mentees. These include:

1. A detailed mentor guidebook 📚 that provides guidance on the expectations and responsibilities of a mentor, as well as tips and strategies for effective mentoring. 
2. Access to a platform 🔦 where they can communicate and collaborate with their mentees, share resources, and track their mentees' progress.
3. Ongoing support and training to mentors, 🌱 including workshops to help mentors develop their skills and knowledge in the edtech space. 

Francine: Aside from actual guides in the form of documentation or kits, we provide real-time resources in the form of events. Events focused on training and socializing. The training aspect of these events allows Eskwelabs to share best practices we’ve researched and tested. The socializing aspect of these events allows Eskwelabs to be a bridge among mentors so they can share best practices they’ve learned along the way in their own mentor journey.

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By providing mentors with access to a range of resources and tools, we empower them to offer effective guidance and support to their mentees. At the same time, we recognize that training alone is not enough to ensure success. That's why we prioritize meaningful training, and follow up with our mentees and mentors to track progress and address any challenges that may arise. Through this, we can ensure that our training programs contribute to the personal and professional growth of our learners.

Q: How do you measure the impact of mentors on the development of their mentees?

Den: Measuring the impact of mentors on the development of their mentees can be done through several ways. 

1. Regular check-ins ✅ with mentees to track progress and evaluate effectiveness of the mentorship relationship.
2. Gathering feedback 🗒️ from mentees on the quality of guidance and support they received from their mentor.
3. Conducting regular surveys and assessments 🗓️ to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the mentorship program and identify areas for improvement.

Francine: A grander way of measuring the impact of mentors is to see how far their mentees have come based on where their mentees originally started. For example, if a mentee has always wanted to work towards being a thought leader in the data space, then a measure of success could be the actual existence of this mentee’s thought leadership content in online publications or conferences. The more successful the mentee, the higher the impact the mentors have had on their personal and professional lives.

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The best part about being a mentor at Eskwelabs is that we’re invested in you as much as we are invested in the growth of our learners. We are happy to share our innovative space to like-minded individuals who are equally passionate about people and education as we are. 

Pay it forward and become a mentor today! We’re currently transitioning into a new platform for a smoother application process, meanwhile, you can follow us on our social media for updates on this. We can’t wait to share the future of work with stellar mentors like you!