About the Kaleidoscope Mentoring Program
Newcomers (migrants and refugees) bring talent, innovation and international expertise to Western Australia, but they need information and networks to succeed. The Kaleidoscope Mentoring Program (KMP) aims to help skilled newcomer professionals improve their employment potential by matching them with mentors from their industry or occupation.
Mentors guide newcomers on a pathway to find employment within their industry. This benefits both the newcomers and employers in Western Australia by sharing new ideas and boosting business development and cultural diversity in both the workplace and the community.
A growing number of Employer Partners are supporting the program supporting/nominating their employees to become mentors in the program. At the same time, interested professionals are also individually joining the program as mentors.
KMP Objectives
Mentors work with their mentees to help them build an understanding of:
- Australian workplace culture
- Give an insight to mentee’s profession/industry
- occupationally specific professional networks to assist them to achieve their career goals.
In return, the mentors benefit by enhancing their leadership, mentoring and cultural competency skills while working with a newcomer mentee.
However, the mentor’s role is NOT to find a job for the mentee.
Mentoring Cycle
KMP program runs for three (3) months during which the mentors and the mentee work together for a minimum of 18 hours or approximately 1.5 hours each week. Connections can be through:
- face-to-face meetings
- online e.g. email, chat applications, Skype, etc
- phone conversations
- job shadowing
- networking at events
In addition, the mentors and the mentees are expected to attend the following sessions (due to COVID-19 these are planned to be online meetings) to reap the maximum benefit out of this program.
- Mentor Induction Session online (1 hour)
- Mentor/Mentee Orientation Session (about 1 hour) to mark the start of the mentoring program cycle.
- Cultural Competency Session (about 2 hours) to enhance your cultural competency skills.
- Graduation Ceremony (about 2 hours) to mark the conclusion of the mentoring program cycle.
The mentees will need to put in another 10 hours (approx.) preparing and arranging their meetings and to complete the logs of their meetings.
Mentees are also required prior to commencing their mentoring partnership to complete the job readiness program. This is run in the weeks preceding the mentorship. View calendar.
Our Mentoring Program flyer and Infographic provides an overview of the process.
Become a KMP Mentee
You will need to submit your application online and meet the eligibility criteria for the program to join as a mentee. (Please note: The mentor’s role is NOT to find you a job the mentee.)
- Why you should become a mentee and your Eligibility Criteria?
- Frequently asked questions on becoming a mentee
- You can review the questions asked in the Mentee application before applying.
Applications closed for KMP Cycle 2 2020 on 1 June 2020.
You can now express your interest for Cycle 1 2021 February- May 2021. We will let you know when the application period opens on the 1 October 2020.
Become a KMP Mentor
We are continuously recruiting mentors whom we will match with mentees in our upcoming mentee intake.
- Why you should become a mentor and your Eligibility Criteria?
- Frequently asked questions on becoming a mentor
- You can review the questions from the Mentor Application here before applying.
After submitting your application, our mentoring coach will send you an email and ask you to please book an appointment with our Mentoring Coach to help us understand your mentoring goals. This will help us make the best mentee match for you.
This will be an online appointment via zoom. Our Mentoring Coach will send you an email confirmation with an appointment link to the zoom meeting.
If you have a police clearance that has been issued within the last 6 months then please have this ready to email to your coach during the meeting.
If you do not then please download and complete this form with your relevant identification, and we will submit on your behalf.
The Kaleidoscope Mentoring Program is being implemented under a partnership between the City of Stirling, the City of Canning and Metropolitan Migrant Resource Centre and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and the Western Australian Government. The Program has been created in consultation with the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Their successful TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program is the model for mentoring programs across Canada and internationally.
