Mentoring Matters – Virtual Youth Volunteering Campaign by Microsoft Philanthropies for 12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm was organized on August 12, 2021, during the International Youth Day. The iLEAD trainees who are undergoing skill training at the Microsoft supported iLEAD centres got an opportunity to interact one-on-one with the mentors who provided career guidance, industry awareness, employability skills, life skills, communication skills, diversity, and inclusion.
Fifty youth who are undergoing skill training, at the AEA’s iLEAD centres supported by Microsoft, got a unique opportunity of being mentored by employees & volunteers of Microsoft India through their Employee Volunteering Program. The youth belonged to conflict affected areas of Bodhgaya (Bihar) and Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh).
The one-on-one online mentorship programme focused on providing perspective from inside industry, improving knowledge on technical credential and interpersonal skills. “I was mentored by Ayush Kumar who exposed me to various career options available for me after the completion of the iLEAD course. He also suggested me to learn graphic designing softwares such as Coral Draw and Adobe which could boost my career prospects,” says Arjun who is a student pursuing ITES course offered at iLEAD Bodhgaya centre.
For Manisha, a student of Bedside Patient Attendant course, the interaction focused on boosting her morale and motivating her to explore career opportunities beyond Bihar. “My mentor suggested me to pursue an advanced nursing course and work outside of the state for atleast a few years to get myself exposed to diverse work opportunties available in the field of nursing,” informs Manisha.
The mentorship programme helped Shabnam in removing barriers to success. “My mentor encouraged me to aim big and strive hard to achieve it. He told me to develop a vision and an action plan to achieve it,” she shares.
A special sharing session was organized after the mentorship programme where the trainees who got an opportunity to interact with mentors shared their experiences with the co-trainees.
