Mentoring in the A/E/P and Environmental Industry

Press Release: May 17, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (May 17, 2011) --A recent survey shows the frequency and method of mentoring programs in the A/E/P and environmental industry. According to the online survey of industry HR personnel for The Zweig Letter, 47% of respondents reported having a mentoring program. However, a significant number, 27%, reported that their firms don’t have such a program. Another 13% said that mentoring initiatives existed at one time. A number of firms, 7% of respondents, are discussing the idea, according to survey results. Some difficulties in mentoring programs were also explained by one anonymous survey respondent. “We have a mentoring program but it is very informal. It needs improvement, but there never seems to be interest in helping it become a more useful tool for new employees. Time is the biggest issue. Non-chargeable time, in our industry, is not encouraged.” A vast majority of respondents, 67%, said mentees are paired with people inside the firm. Another 33% offered other arrangements, but no one reported pairing mentees with people outside the firm Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, a 500-person civil engineering and environmental consulting firm in Elmwood Park, N.J., launched a mentoring program just last year which pairs participants and is open to all full-time employees. Beverly Williams, director of human resources says, “Participants complete a questionnaire prior to the start of the program, which solicits information about their mentor preferences. We try to pair participants with consideration of their preferences and our desire to cross train disciplines.” Grace Stoddard, human resources manager for Schemmer Associates Inc (Omaha, Neb.) says, “We have a year-long program for up-and-coming leaders called Schemmer Leadership Academy,” she says. “As part of this program, participants are matched with a current top leader for the one-year period. Many of these mentorships have continued past the initial timeframe.” Press Contact: Christina Zweig christinaz@zweigwhite.com www.zweigwhite.com