The Career Mentorship Program (CMP) matches newcomer immigrant professionals (mentees) in the Edmonton region with established professionals and local business leaders / employers (mentors) who share a similar occupational background and creates networks through real-life connections and experience.
Akintola arrived to Canada in February of 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic. Having over 2 years of professional experience, he was full of hope of landing a job somewhere within the engineering sector. His timing was challenging! Not only did he found himself in the midst of a pandemic but also a global recession which would impact his opportunities in finding suitable work.
“I did a personal assessment of myself and I concluded that I needed a mentor to make things easier for me before I deciding to enroll for a bridging program or any other courses to further boost my chances as a new professional immigrant job seeker”, Akintola recalled.
“In June of 2020, I came across the ERIEC organization. I reached out to them with low expectations. My intention was to leverage this opportunity for networking and mentoring. I was accepted for their August cohort of the mentorship program and I would be paired with my mentor after a short while. The mentorship program is a very well structured which for me made it worthwhile.”
Akintola continued, “I had the opportunity to have a wonderful and experienced mentor who is very flexible and willing to spend time with me, even outside our regular weekly meetings. The weekly sessions were geared towards getting a job through tasks and receiving feedback from him. Some of the tasks includes resume review, networking, and interview tips. During this relationship, I was actively implementing what I learned from my mentor for my job search. In addition, I gained more knowledge through workshops organized by ERIEC that gave me insights into the Canadian culture, heritage, as well as the Canadian workplace amongst others.”
“In December, there was a job opening for an Engineering Technician/Technologist at Stantec Consulting. I was recommended for the position by my mentor who gave me all the necessary guidance and tips based on his own experience throughout the hiring process and then assisted me later on once I was eventually hired”. AkintolaI exclaimed, “I got my dream job!”.
“My mentorship journey was worthwhile, which was made possible by the ERIEC team! I highly recommend and encourage every professional immigrant to take advantage of these services and programs at ERIEC!”
If you are an immigrant professional, Permanent Resident, currently in Edmonton, and interested in ERIEC’s Mentorship and / or Connector Program, please contact the Program Assistant- Gustave Gatabazi at [email protected]
If you are an established professional or business leader looking to volunteer as a mentor or establish corporate partnerships, please contact the Program Director- Azumme Degun at [email protected]