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Investing in the workforce through mentoring
Citation:
Nestlerode, J., J. Mathis, AND M. Harwell. Investing in the workforce through mentoring. Presented at CERF 2013, San Diego, CA, November 03 - 07, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Invited presentation of case studies describing mentoring and career development approaches used in ORD during the Education-themed session at CERF.
Description:
The term mentor is often used synonymously with a faculty adviser in academic settings, but a mentorship is also a career development relationship in which more experienced senior colleagues share their knowledge and experience with mentees. Having the advice and guidance of an experienced colleague can help employees plan their careers and manage challenging situations. Mentoring can involve orienting new hires to the landscape, values, and culture of their work environment; working with staff to establish career goals and develop requisite skill sets; or providing employees with situational counseling. Whether formal or informal, mentoring fosters growth and development. Here, we will present examples of mentorships, including internships, student services contractor opportunities, postdoctoral fellowships, and employee pilot mentoring efforts a national research laboratory. In addition to building professional relationships, these programs are designed to benefit the mentee by introducing them to the research culture within a federal agency, and providing experiences to broaden expertise and future job opportunities. Mentors benefit through exposure to emerging research and subsequent contributions for recruitment and retention of top talent. Overall, these mentoring efforts represent an important cornerstone of workforce engagement that benefit the national research laboratory as a whole.