Prioritizing Mentoring In the Workforce
As young people enter and navigate the workforce, they deserve access to people, opportunities, and networks who support their goals and value their perspectives. By centering relationships and being intentional in how they recruit, hire, and connect with employees, workplaces can expand opportunities for young people, especially those who do not already have strong connections to professional relationships and pathways. In turn, young employees bring fresh perspectives to workplace challenges and enable companies to expand their capacity. It’s a win-win situation, which is why MENTOR is intent on shaping a workforce that works for all young people.
Take Action
- Create opportunities for young people by encouraging your Congressional Representatives to support the Youth Workforce Readiness Act.
- Make an actionable commitment to support tomorrow’s leaders by taking MENTOR’s Workplace Equity Pledge today.
- Bring the mentoring mindset to your organization with MENTOR’s Connect|Focus|Grow training curriculum.
- Connected to young people interested in building social capital or working professionals looking to support the emerging workforce? Consider partnering with us on a Networking and Mentoring Event.
Stats
- When employers support youth mentoring, 73% of employees report strong career satisfaction.
- Mentorship programs can boost the representation of Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American women, and Hispanic and Asian American men at manager levels up to 24%.
- Mentoring improves both promotion and retention of diverse groups, increasing the promotion and retention rates of men and women of color by 15% – 38% compared to non-mentored minorities.
Workplace Mentoring Toolkits by Industry
Hospitality
In 2022, funded by the Hyatt Hotels Foundation, MENTOR partnered with Hyatt Hotels and the AHLA Foundation to develop this resource for the new and expanded mentoring programs across the hospitality field. Employees from the hospitality industry participated in a pre-survey to understand the current state of workplace mentorship. From these results, two focus groups were conducted to gain better insight into what is needed programmatically and systemically to nurture a mentoring culture.
Career Readiness Mentoring Programs
In 2022, funded by the Schultz Family Foundation, MENTOR partnered with Juma to develop a resource that career readiness programs can utilize as they incorporate mentoring into their work and organization. Juma staff and youth participated in Connect|Focus|Grow trainings to gain a better understanding of what it means to mentor and be mentored. From these trainings, focus groups were conducted to gain a better insight into what is needed to programmatically launch a successful career readiness mentoring program. In 2023 they piloted the toolkit and provided additional insight which informed the data and resources included in this toolkit.
Retail/Tech Industry
In 2025, MENTOR developed this resource for professionals in the retail/technology (i.e. e-Commerce) industry to implement in their mentoring initiatives. Informed by the Lessons Learned: Building and Sustaining Workplace Mentoring in the Retail/Tech Industry document, MENTOR researched necessary components to foster skill development and bolster program quality of workplace mentoring in the expansive and changing e-Commerce space. Download the toolkit to explore best practices in structuring a mentoring program within the retail/technology workplace.
Webinars
In the News
Getting Smart – MENTOR Chief Impact Officer Tim Wills and ASA President & CEO Jean Eddy – Tech Fuels Student Access to Mentorships – Especially for Students of Color.
Wall Street Journal – Yes, You Can Find a Mentor While Working Remotely