The CPA Mentorship program is founded on honesty, trust, confidentiality, mutual respect, and professionalism. The program enables mentors and mentees to bring their full selves to mentorship (including but not limited to gender, identity, diversity and equality) for career development. The purpose of the program is to provide opportunity for learning, sharing of experiences and offering guidance to enrich the careers of all participants.
To ensure a successful and productive mentorship relationship, we request mentors and mentees follow the guidelines and principles below:
- Mentors and mentees enter the mentoring relationship in good faith and agree to communicate with honesty, integrity and trust.
- The formal period for the program is six (6) months in which the mentor and mentee commit to remaining available for mentorship during this timeline.
- The suggested meeting time is on average three (3) hours a month or timing that is mutually agreed upon by both parties. Meetings can be in-person, on the phone or virtual.
- Communication is important, as is timely follow-up. Maintain ongoing respect for each other’s needs and schedules. Advise your partner if you require additional meeting time or will be unable to meet for a period of time.
- Please make every reasonable effort to attend the mentor training sessions that are available at the beginning and mid-point of the program. The training sessions provide you with an opportunity to learn new information, establish clear goals, boundaries and expectations as well as meet others in the program.
- Leverage the mentorship portal for program resources including guidance and structure on conversations, how to address potential blind-spots, and how to enhance content of your mentorship conversations.
- Work with mentorship coordinators on surveys and provide your feedback. This enhances mentorship relationships and program development.
- Respecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information shared between mentee and mentors is crucial to the integrity of the conversations and relationships. If a privacy violation, please reach out to a program coordinator for guidance.
- Ensure that your current contact information is provided to program coordinators and your mentorship counterpart and provide updated information if you experience a career change.
- The scope of the mentorship program generally concerns career development and guidance. While conversations outside the scope of the program may occur, mentors and mentees should feel free to seek referrals from other support resources when appropriate such as: CPA Assist, Professional Advisory, or Career Services.
- Occasionally relationships may need to be discontinued for personal reasons, career changes, or if the need for mentorship changes. Please demonstrate care and inform your counterpart of the change, as well as the mentorship coordinators as soon as possible at mentorship@cpaalberta.ca. If the relationship ends prior to the formal completion of the program, mentors and mentees are expected to mutually part ways with professionalism and respect.