Development Victoria Mentoring program

We are committed to creating a thriving work environment with opportunities that support the growth and development of our diverse team. 

At the start of 2021, our focus was on helping to create connections and support new ways of learning throughout Development Victoria. Working from home had many feeling disconnected and detached from their colleagues and opportunities to learn. Our team was missing out on informal learning opportunities that were previously so easily accessed in a pre-COVID office environment.

So in May 2021, we launched our first mentoring program to support learning and connection in a different way throughout the organisation. 

"We're proud of the unique skills and strengths found in our team, and wanted to leverage this with the introduction of a mentoring program." said CEO Angela Skandarajah   

Mentoring is all about sharing knowledge, skills, and life experience to guide another person and support them to reach their full potential. It offers an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others and collaborate together to come up with new solutions to professional challenges.

The Development Victoria mentoring program also offers members of our team a way to connect with someone they might not get the chance to otherwise.  

The 2021 program ran for 6 months and paired employees in various stages of their careers who were passionate about helping and upskilling others with those seeking guidance and development. Everyone at Development Victoria was invited to nominate for the pilot program participate as either a mentor or mentee. A final selection process resulted in 40 participants who were supported through a guided collaborative experience where matched mentors and mentees worked together on advancing professional career development goals.

One of our participants was mentee Haydn Drew who had joined Development Victoria in April 2021 and found the program a great way to meet people from across the organisation. 

"As a new employee, joining the mentoring program was a great experience, especially as I was able to collaborate and network with staff from across the business." Said Haydn 

"I didn’t realise how much I would get out of the program, and being able to openly discuss different approaches to work-related challenges and areas for development with my mentor was a real highlight." 

Mentoring offers a myriad of benefits not only for mentees but also for our mentors. Our mentors were passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience but beyond that, they were also able to learn from the experience of our mentees.

"My time as a mentor has been rewarding and allowed me to share my knowledge to help my mentee explore a range of possibilities. Mentors have been essential in my own career so it's important to me to provide that value to others in their careers." said Karen Cowden, a participant as a mentor in our 2021 program. 

Our mentoring program has created lasting relationships and connections and following its success, will be continuing in 2022.