JPMorgan Chase Mentoring Program Prepares High School Students for Careers through Project-Based Learning
May 17, 2022
Are you interested in doing or learning more? Take MENTOR’s Workplace Equity Pledge to further workplace equity for young people. Here are four actions you can take: 1. Advocate: Encourage your Congressional Representatives to support the Youth Workforce Readiness Act. 2. Learn: Watch MENTOR’s training on bringing a Mentoring Mindset to the workplace 3. Elevate: Download our resource on the power of workplace mentoring and share it with your company’s DEI committee. 4. Explore: Download our new resource. Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies To Be There For Young People.
May 17, 2022
MENTOR believes that all young people need access to caring adults and mentors in their family, community, schools, and in the workplace to achieve their personal and professional goals. Having a champion in the workplace can make or break a young worker’s experience. We are highlighting and celebrating our workplace partners that are evolving their culture to include relationship-centered practices. For this blog, we sat down with high school student Mira Yu to talk about her experience with the Career Readiness Mentoring Program at JPMorgan Chase.
Research shows that when employers support youth mentoring, 73% of employees report strong career satisfaction. For companies, mentoring is a clear path to positive outcomes for young people and employees alike. In service of their commitment to workforce development and enriching young people’s out-of-school learning, JPMorgan Chase has partnered with MENTOR to design and implement a project-based career readiness program. For six weeks, young people work with JPMorgan Chase employees to develop innovative solutions for community challenges, helping both communities and young people. Marlee Henderson, Global Philanthropy Senior Associate at JPMorgan Chase, comments on the program: “At JPMorgan Chase, we believe our most important resource is our employees. We’re pleased to be working with MENTOR to deepen our relationship with our community partners by engaging JPMorgan Chase employees in opportunities to provide young people with the coaching and feedback to prepare them for careers and for life.”
To provide young people the opportunity to participate in skills-building workshops alongside trained JPMorgan Chase volunteers, each young person and mentor participate in five virtual workshops that focus on career coaching. Sessions build upon one another and highlight the critical skills needed at work. The JPMorgan Chase volunteers help young people develop new skills, expand their networks, and increase their access to future career opportunities. Overall, the program enhances the work-based learning opportunities young people experience by including mentoring and coaching – ultimately giving young people invaluable preparation for future career pathways.
We sat down with youth participant Mira Yu, an 11th-grade student at Boston Latin School, to talk about her experience. Mira helps lead the swim, debate, and mock-trial teams as well as her school’s student council and volunteering club. She hopes to pursue a career in law and government.
Tell us why you wanted to be a part of this program? Did you have any expectations going into the program?
I wanted to be part of the program to learn from people with work experience and work with others my age to practice career skills. I knew that the program was intended to help me in my future career, but I wasn’t completely sure what that would entail going into the program. I expected the workshops to be similar to a virtual school lecture.
Did the Career Readiness Mentoring Program meet your expectations?
The Career Readiness Mentoring Program went beyond my expectations. The workshops were genuinely engaging and taught me tangible skills that I think can help me regardless of the career I end up in. For instance, I learned about a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis for the first time. Honestly, I was surprised at how dedicated the workshop leaders were to making each session interesting and informative.
Can you share a highlight from your experience?
On the day of our final workshop, it was my group’s turn to give the presentation that we had been working on during the past sessions. I was fairly nervous about the idea of speaking in front of such a large group of people, including highly qualified mentors. But with the support and encouragement of my group, I’m proud to say the presentation was a success.
What stands out to you in your mentoring and coaching experience?
In my group, my mentors were incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. They were willing to share about their lives and experiences in their careers to guide us through our presentation process. What stood out to me was when I asked them to share their personal “elevator pitch”— I was really impressed by how confident and skilled they were, and it inspired me to attempt performing a pitch of my own.
Anything else you would like to share?
The Career Mentoring Program was a really fun and valuable experience for me. I got to expand my network by learning from experienced mentors, and I developed skills that I hope will help me access career opportunities in the future.