Mentoring Month

January 30, 2024

January is mentoring month, which commemorates and encourages all of us to engage in a practice and partnership that has existed since we, as a collective peoples,  first started passing down our experience and knowledge as elders, to the next generation. Now more than ever as businesses transform at an ever-faster pace and the workforce changes, the ability to grow and transform our skill sets are dependent on our ability to collaborate but also our ability to learn and share with others. There are innumerable articles, books, and approaches to mentorship, therefore this article will focus on key mentoring topics within our aviation industry:

Mentoring within the Organization: Dibblecorp, with offices in eight western states, has developed a robust internal training program that includes education, licensing, and a mentoring  program. Each employee is teamed with a tenured mentor for one-on-one-growth and development opportunities. Their mentoring practice includes collaborative learning, leadership development and carrier advancement.

Mentoring within the Industry: It is crucial to an organization to provide mentoring opportunities and provide formal carrier, leadership, diversity, and collaborative opportunities to its workforce. Currently one of the most successful mentoring programs exists within NBAA. Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPro). YoPro was founded in 2014, with the mission to bring industry peers together in an organization dedicated to promoting ties between young people in business aviation and established business peers.

The SWAAAE and AAAE YoPro Committees are committed to providing career development, networking, and educational opportunities for the next generation of airport professionals and to bridge the gap between current and future aviation leaders. AAAE also has a Mentor Match program allowing members to sign up to be a mentor or mentee. Also, under consideration by SWAAAE is an informal mentoring program to engage and support members at various stages of their careers as mentors, mentees, and peer support.  

Workforce Development: The ACE Mentor Program of America, founded in 1994, is a no-cost after-school program that prioritizes workforce development for high school students by connecting them with experts from the planning, design, and construction industry. ACE Mentor addresses pressing workforce needs, with continuous mentor opportunities from high school through to full-time employment.