Mentorship Matters: Key Reflections on Building Meaningful Relationships for Growth

I’ve been thinking a lot about mentoring recently. This is probably partly caused by the increased mentorship activities I am providing for a number of newer colleagues at work but also my interest in a newly created position I have applied for.

I am thinking about what mentorship means to me and how it differs from teaching in my mind. Or maybe there is a stronger connection.

Mentorship throughout my life

When I started working in the trades, I was 18 years old. Most of my colleagues were within a few years of retirement, and there was a definite “old vs. young” atmosphere going on. The old guard also had not acquired many of the skills and knowledge that the industry had discovered in their time. Fortunately, there were a few younger colleagues that were more supportive and the times in trade school filled a lot of the gaps.

There is a difference between learning things on a theoretical level and applying these skills at work. Repetition of a task, discussion and planning of a project, are all part of the mentorship process and need the support of a more experienced person.

After I became a Journeyperson (equivalent to a Red Seal certification in Canada), I made a point of mentoring apprentices on job sites and quickly became the go-to person for taking these colleagues under my wing.

This was probably the time when I developed my interest in leading teams and teaching. And of course, I also honed my own skills in my trade. Many skills become a lot clearer to you if you repeat them to someone else and correct them if needed.

Years later I opted to add a Masters designation to my training. Among other skills, this included formal training in teaching apprentices. While learning theory and psychology behind teaching, I realized that what I learned confirmed and solidified my mentorship approach.

A lot of trades training is actually mentorship.

After eighteen years in the trades, I joined a Relocation Service. Our services helped expats from international companies settle in Germany.
We provided immigration, real estate and other practical services to our clients but the most valuable service we provided was mentoring our clients on how to settle into a new country, culture and work environment. I loved sharing my experiences as an immigrant and my language skills. In this environment, it became clear that I was a mentor rather than a teacher. The needs and skills of every person were different, and very little could be planned beyond the basic “how-to Germany” literature we developed.

I loved this work and was called to create a department for an international moving company. Other than teaching and mentoring my team, I also created a network of similar services in other countries. This gave me the opportunity to learn what was needed in other cultures. It also allowed me to mentor my international contacts on what our clients needed.

To this day I see this as the most engaging and satisfying work I have done in my life.

Full circle

When I returned to trades seven years ago, I had the overwhelming feeling that all the skills I had acquired over my working life came together. At the College I get to support trades students and apprentices who just started their, is very fulfilling. As a toolroom attendant, I can focus on supporting both the instructors and the students, and fill gaps in understanding they might have.

I am also able to share my experience using computer programs, supply chain management and teaching with my colleagues. Mentorship is a big part of what I do every day.

When I started teaching in the Women In Trades program I could put all the skills together again. I loved guiding my students through some of the skills of a different trade every week. I particularly enjoyed discovering how each of my students brought their talents to class and how I could encourage the students to support each other and effectively mentor each other.

Mentorship empowers

Bringing it all full circle, I realize that a lot of my love for teaching is really a love for mentoring. I love mentoring my colleagues and students. I love mentoring women and other equity-deserving groups in navigating the male-dominated world of (most) trades. After completing the Provincial Instructor Diploma, I can add the skills learned there to my tool kit.
I just signed up for two conferences related to this, and I look forward to learning to become more effective and sharing my experiences.

I am excited to attend these two conferences and learn about new ways to support apprentices on their path to be successful in a world dominated by a patriarchal culture and traditions reaching back to medieval times.