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DIVERSITY
AWRA celebrates
200 e-mentoring pairs As the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) celebrates a milestone 200th pair in its innovative e-mentoring program, Resource People caught up with six participants about the benefits of this modern take on mentoring.
WHEN AWRA first partnered with the Australian Government to launch an online mentoring program for the resource industry, the goal was to provide women with quality mentoring regardless of their
location, travel commitments or nontraditional work schedules. Three years on and 200 mentoring pairs later, the value of looking outside the square to address the underrepresentation
of women in a male-dominated and regionally dispersed industry is clear to see. Here’s what three AWRA e-Mentoring Program pairs had to say about their experience.
Catherine and Lana
Catherine Bruneton
Lana Van Wyk
As a recent graduate and first-year engineer with project services company Technip, Catherine Bruneton was matched with Lana Van Wyk, a business analyst with an extensive background in engineering. West Australian-based Bruneton and Queensland-based Van Wyk communicated via phone, email and video chat software while using online tools and information kits to assist their progression. “A large plus was the ability to gain a mentor outside of my work group, this allowed me to broaden my network and learn about other areas within the resources industry,” Bruneton says. “The program allowed me to catch up with my mentor without having to leave the office or site. It was a great opportunity to learn, ask questions and to reflect on my own choices. Most of all, it was an opportunity to talk candidly with another female engineer.” Van Wyk, who works with blasting
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services and explosives provider Dyno Nobel, agrees the ability to interact with her mentee without being in the same location made her involvement as a mentor easy. “Catherine was very motivated to establish and maintain our relationship. It truly felt like a two-way street and we interacted quite easily over Facetime and phone calls. The technological interface provides great flexibility for busy executives who may not have a lot of time available in their schedules,” she says. Van Wyk believes a good mentor must have ‘found joy’ in their careers and bring enthusiasm and passion to the table. Her mentee also has advice for women wondering whether mentoring is for them. “Think of the positive outcomes you can achieve. You’ll find that giving yourself the time to place attention on your career and to think about what you really want from your working life is motivating and empowering,” Bruneton says. RP