MentoringComplete
Invitation Response
Program Details
Thank you for your interest in joining the Women MAKE Mentorship Program. You are investing in mutual growth by establishing a mentoring collaboration. On behalf of the Manufacturing Institute, we want to recognize this important journey you’re looking to embark on. We will keep you updated as more information on the next program becomes available. We appreciate your patience and look forward to working with you soon.
Next Steps: Officially join the interest list by clicking the "Accept" button below and entering your information.
Should you ever have any questions, please feel free to email our team at MIMentorship@nam.org.
Mentors provide guidance and support, whether around a specific need or ongoing development. They
listen to their mentees’ experiences and give constructive, direct and honest feedback. Mentors play a
critical part in both professional and personal development.
Still, traditional mentoring relationships have not been available or understanding of women’s needs. In
general, women must balance personal and professional responsibilities to a greater extent than men
and consequently deal with higher levels of isolation, imposter syndrome, and unconscious biases.
Woman–woman mentoring relationships can help address the challenges women face in their personal
and professional roles. Mentors give women an avenue to practice their communication skills in
a safe environment by focusing on growth and improvement. Mentors help build social capital for
women, particularly in male-dominated settings. Mentors also help develop a leadership pipeline and
successors. Mentors help new hires acclimate to company culture more quickly.
Over the next five years, The Manufacturing Institute’s Women MAKE Mentorship Program will create a nationwide movement designed to change perceptions by training more than 1,000 female
mentors and helping them connect to younger women in the industry and beyond by engaging with
women in four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, high schools and middle schools.
The Women MAKE Mentorship Program acts on decades of research and more than a decade
of impact to help close the gender gap in manufacturing.
- How to Set Goals
- Establishing Your Personal Brand/Networking Abilities
- Expanding Your Collaboration, Communication, and Soft Skills
- How to Build Skills and Leadership Qualities
- How to Be an Advocate for Yourself
- Problem-Solving Current Situations
- None of the Above
- Creating and assessing professional goals in order to achieve career success
- Learning how to navigate, lead or manage change
- Networking for success (internally or externally)
- Developing effective interpersonal skills
- Learning how to use feedback effectively
- How to find a sponsor within your organization
- How to thrive being a woman/minority within the company
- None of the Above
- Handling microaggressions in the workplace
- Learning about various roles in the manufacturing industry
- Learning about what are the current issues facing the industry
- Learning how to acculturate to the company while maintaining your own uniqueness
- Discussing general business or industry themes
- Navigating imposter syndrome
- Utilizing and accessing outside resources
- None of the Above
- How to best support the inclusion of diverse ideas/opinions and thoughts
- Understanding how to achieve greater success by discussing how diversity contributes to the "bottom line"
- Discussing how diversity challenges you and impacts your abilities to succeed and achieve your professional goals
- Learning how to appropriately navigate perceived barriers that inhibit the full contribution of others
- Encouraging others to express themselves and their ideas as a means of enhancing results and growing the business
- None of the Above
- Translating vision into results
- Leading others by example
- Driving and supporting change and innovation
- Building and leveraging relationships across boundaries
- Exercising sound judgment in difficult circumstances
- Developing collaborative teams and inspiring psychological safety in the workplace
- None of the Above
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MENTEES + MENTORS BELOW (FOR ASSISTANCE, PLEASE EMAIL MIMENTORSHIP@NAM.ORG)
SECTION ONE: WHO CAN BE A MENTEE?
All mentee participants who meet the following criteria may apply to be in the matching pool.
- A female employed or interested in the manufacturing industry
- Is willing to learn from others and accept constructive feedback
- Can develop and articulate goals/objectives for professional growth to their mentor
- Wants to build a career in manufacturing
- Is committed to the mentoring program guidelines as defined in the program descriptor below
SECTION TWO: PROCESS FOR PARTICIPATION
- Complete mentee matching form
- Attend mentoring training
- Receive an appropriate match
- Coordinate an agreed upon cadence with your mentor to meet 1-2x a month for a total of 9 months (a 9 to 12-hour commitment)
- Provide survey feedback to the Women MAKE Mentorship Team
- Respect confidentiality in this circle of trust with their mentor
SECTION THREE: HOW WILL I BE MATCHED WITH MY MENTOR?
Mentees can have input into the type of mentor they would like to have. By completing the matching form (also referred to as the application) and identifying areas of interest they would like to work on, they are creating a guide as to which type of mentor would best for them. This provides the matching algorithm with the information needed to find a suitable match. Introduction emails between matches will be made following the mentor/mentee trainings.
SECTION FOUR: WHO CAN BE A MENTOR?
A mentor is someone who meets the criteria listed below and really aspires to advance the field of women in manufacturing.
MENTOR CRITERIA:
MENTOR CRITERIA:
- In good standing in a manufacturing role at a company (or retired)
- Has background in goal areas specified by the program
- Has the support of his/her/their manager to be part of this initiative
- Has a positive attitude around work in manufacturing
- Is well respected and has leadership qualities
- Is an effective listener and communicator
- Is committed to program guidelines as defined in program descriptor
Process for Participating:
- Complete the mentor matching form
- Attend mentoring training
- Receive an appropriate match
- Coordinate an agreed upon cadence with your mentor to meet 1-2x a month for a total of 9 months (a 9 to 12-hour commitment)
- Provide survey feedback to the Women MAKE Mentorship Team
- Respect confidentiality in this circle of trust with their mentee
The process for being matched with a mentee begins with the mentor completing the matching form. They are then placed in the mentor pool to be matched.
ARE MENTEES AND MENTORS GUARANTEED A MATCH?
Not all applicants can be matched, though we will work very hard to make as many matches as possible. Sometimes we have more mentees and than mentors available in the pool, resulting in mentors not paired.
Mentors who are not matched will be asked their interest in peer-to-peer mentoring (if overabundance of mentors) or to serve in the Resource Pool. This pool will consist of non-matched mentors who may serve as an added resource to a given mentoring pair on an “as needed” basis. Some mentors may be asked if they are available to work with a second mentee as well.
WHAT ROLE DOES MY MANAGER PLAY IN THIS PROGRAM?
As this is an external mentoring initiative, it is up to the mentee to share participation, goals, learning with your manager as you see fit. It is our hope that your manager supports Women MAKE Mentorship Program by giving you the opportunity for you to have ongoing contact with your mentor as part of your responsibilities. You may also opt to get feedback from your manager, if you haven’t received it already, on how s/he/they feels you could benefit from the mentoring experience and/or what developmental areas you need to grow in.
One key component is that your manager and your mentor do not communicate directly about your mentoring relationship. This is because the mentoring relationship is confidential between you and your mentor.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GUIDELINES OF THE MENTORING PROGRAM?
- Mentoring pairs will be in the mentoring relationship for 9 months annually.
- Pairs are recommended to meet virtually 1-2 times a month for an estimated 1 hour per session (if a mentee requires more time, it is at the discretion of the mentor and their ability to do so).
- Mentoring pairs will negotiate other forms of contacts such as email, Zoom and through the telephone.
- Mentors and mentees must attend formal training.
- Mentors and mentees agree to participate in an evaluation of the program at various points throughout the 1-year period.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A MATCH DOESN’T WORK OUT?
This can sometimes happen because circumstances change and may result in a pair no longer being appropriate. This is why this is an “no fault” program. At any point in time, either the mentee or the mentor may choose to opt out of the relationship. If either the mentee or mentor feel that the match is not effective, all they need do is contact the Women MAKE Mentorship Team (MIMentorship@nam.org) and discuss it. Additionally, if for some reason the pairs do not feel the match is strong, they can contact the Women MAKE Mentorship Team for further assistance.
AM I GUARANTEED ANY FUTURE PROMOTIONS OR SALARY INCREASES BY PARTICIPATING IN WOMEN MAKE AMERICA MENTORING PROGRAM?
This program is designed to assist mentees in their professional and personal development. As such, mentors and mentees both can grow from the experience. However, the program is not designed for advancement, but rather for development. Therefore, this program does not promise, nor does it wish to imply that by participating, a mentee will receive future promotions or salary increases.