Program aims to help Illinois senior students as they enter the workforce
(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) — NEWS: A St. Louis firm, Mentoring Complete (https://www.mentoringcomplete.com/), has partnered with Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI) (https://acifund.org), a Chicago nonprofit, to offer a Career Mentoring Program to match Illinois college seniors with business mentors. The mentors help guide the seniors as they launch careers.
Funded in part through a National Venture Fund grant from the Council of Independent Colleges (https://www.cic.edu), Washington, D.C., the new mentoring program will be available through career services offices at ACI’s 27 member colleges and universities (https://acifund.org/member-college-directory/).
ACI provides scholarships and emergency financial aid to first-generation, low-income students attending private colleges and universities in Illinois, plus career services and peer mentoring for students. Mentoring Complete has considerable experience in successful business and corporate mentoring programs. Clients include Enterprise Holdings, New York Power Authority, OhioHealth and Reach International.
“The design of the program creates consistent interactions, so the mentor and mentee have opportunities to assess how things are progressing, and make adjustments along the way,” said Aaron Adams, partner and mentoring expert with Mentoring Complete. The students and their career mentors can also discuss areas of development most important to the student, and the seniors develop a better understanding of how to translate what they have learned in the classroom into the workplace, he added. In some cases, mentors can help mentees find future career opportunities.
“The Career Mentoring Program helps get college seniors engaged at a high level with mentors in their chosen career fields, and helps them begin successful careers and be productive citizens,” said Mick Weltman, ACI executive director. Career mentoring complements other components of ACI’s College-to-Career program offerings, he said. They include Work and Life Skills Boot Camps, and ACI’s Career Development Conference and Career Expo, which help students prepare for careers; micro-internships through Parker Dewey, which help students get valuable work experience while in college; and ACI’s job-postings page (https://acifund.org/jobs-and-internships/), which announces positions available for alumni of ACI-affiliated schools.
For the fall term, career mentoring dates are Sept. 15, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2020. Spring program dates are Jan. 15, 2021 to April 30, 2021. ACI will work with career services teams at member colleges and universities to publicize the new program and recruit mentees, who will be placed with potential mentors as available.
ACI will also reach out to corporate sponsors and strategic partners to recruit experienced mentors. People interested in becoming mentors should apply though the career mentoring website (https://www.get.mentoringcomplete.com/aci-business-mentor). Mentors will be paired with mentees for one semester based on availability.
About ACI:
Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI) is a collaboration of 27 private, independent colleges and universities, representing more than 70,000 students. Established in 1952, ACI supports member colleges and universities by advancing independent liberal arts and sciences education and helping underserved students succeed in college, career and life. The organization raises funds for scholarships, peer mentoring and emergency financial aid, and it provides member services such as professional development conferences and college-to-career seminars and events. Visit ACI’s website (https://acifund.org) for more information.
Media Contact:
John R. Brooks, APR
Director of Communication
312-263-2391, ext. 3
jbrooks@acifund.org
Related link: https://acifund.org
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