Project managers across the country are taking part in the ECITB’s 2020 mentoring scheme, which is being delivered remotely this year in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the sixth consecutive year, a mentoring programme for oil and gas professionals is underway. And for the first time, the ECITB is running a cross-sector programme in 2020. Both programmes have met online with pairs of mentors and mentees set to forge relationships through virtual meet-ups to be held on a regular basis until December.
Evidence shows that while technical skills can be learned online or in a classroom, behavioural and leadership skills can be enhanced via mentoring. The programmes, which both take place over an eight-month period, allow qualified and experienced project practitioners to ‘mentor-forward’, imparting wisdom and providing guidance to less experienced project professionals with the aim of accelerating their performance and careers.
Chris Claydon – ECITB CEO
Chris Claydon, ECITB Chief Executive, said: “The ECITB is proud to support these project management development programmes, which perhaps now more than ever, are essential to help share learning and experience within and across sectors for the future well-being of the industry.
“These are very challenging times for so many with many areas of the engineering construction industry facing huge difficulties and economic uncertainty in the months ahead due to the effects of this global pandemic,” he said.
“It is vital that we continue to support the industry through these difficult times and we were delighted that so many individuals applied to take part in this year’s programme. It requires a lot of commitment and hard work from both the mentor and the mentee; both sides learn a great deal, not just about the work they do, but also about themselves and their own ambitions.”
This year’s oil and gas programme has 15 mentees and 14 mentors from 17 companies, including Cephas Project Management; Churchill Drilling Tool (Rentals) Ltd, EnQuest, Neptune Energy, Oceaneering, Pearl Engineering Ltd, SafeSys Projects Ltd, Sealand Projects, Shell, Spirit Energy, Step Change Engineering, Stork, Subsea 7, Petrofac, Pro-Fection, TWMA and Worley.
The pilot cross-service programme has 6 mentees and 6 mentors from 10 organisations representing cross-sector industries, including KBR, Petrofac, Wood, McDermott, Pentagon Assurance, SRD Technical, Veolia, Genesis, Aerospace and ERG.