Pioneering mentoring scheme announced

UK: A soon-to-be-launched mentoring scheme promises a unique opportunity for knowledge exchange between industry professionals at different stages in their careers.

The Sustain-Ability project will be a dedicated to the air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump industry. An initial pilot programme is being launched next month, prior to full launch in September. 

The pioneering scheme will connect motivated industry professionals as mentors with equally motivated mentees from across the industry through an online platform.

Launched at a time of considerable focus on attracting new young talent into the industry, those behind the Sustain-Ability mentoring scheme see it working in concert with other initiatives.

“A successful industry-wide mentoring programme is integral to the drive to close the skills gap and raise industry standards,” explained Sustain-Ability founder Steve Gill, a refrigeration consultant and president-elect of the Institute of Refrigeration.

“Mentoring matters. Ask any successful senior person in this industry and they quickly acknowledge that there have been key mentors in their past that have contributed to the success of their career,” he said.

“One problem that the industry is now facing is that as companies have restructured, and as demands upon individual’s time have become greater, as an industry generally, we have less time to do our jobs let alone support those that are coming through.

“One of the major demands on professional’s time is modern communications; full inboxes, sms messages, to say nothing of mobile phones while improving speed of communication has but a strain upon our time to support others on the one hand, but on the other hand, if harnessed correctly provide tools and opportunities that were simply not available to us in the past. Using an eMentoring approach, it is possible for someone in Aberdeen to mentor a mentee in Exeter, or even Sydney, Australia, for that matter.”

Sustain-Ability is currently enlisting a network of experienced industry professionals to act as accredited mentors. The mentoring relationship offers opportunities for reciprocal growth and learning.

“As an industry, our legacy is what we leave behind,” says Steve Gill. “As individuals, our legacy is the people working in this industry long after we have left it. Mentoring is a rich source of self-learning and personal growth. It offers us a tangible difference to the success of others. This might be to help increase their confidence or ability, or support their technical and career success. The ACRHP industry is made up of people. When our enjoyment comes from the difference we make to other people, mentoring becomes a true lasting legacy definition of the term ‘win-win’.”

For further details, or if you would like to take part as either a mentor or mentee in the pilot programme, please contact Steve Gill via email.