According to Irishjobs.ie “Sun Microsystems implemented a mentoring programme. Mentors were six times more likely to be promoted than those not in the programme. Mentees were five times more likely to achieve a promotion. Mentees were five times more likely to receive an increase in pay than those who did not participate. Mentors have had even greater success in this area. The retention rate for staff not involved in the programme was 49%. This contrasts with 69% for mentors and 72% for mentees.”
I decided to look at some of the incredibly successful companies in Ireland that are empowering Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland today:
According to their website “Community mentoring is an unstructured and unmatched mentorship initiative where APNI provides a cohort of mentors who volunteer one hour weekly to provide free one-to-one mentoring sessions and career guidance.
Mentors are senior leaders of top corporations from various industries and sectors who actively hold management or leadership roles in a corporate or other professional institution.
APNI community mentors are willing to openly share their knowledge, career journey, experience, personal and professional development nuggets with members.
All mentoring sessions are conducted virtually via video/web conferencing; booking any mentor/mentoring session is accessible to only members with a membership account on APNI website.”
Their mentors include Aisling McCaffery, Aisling McCaffreyAssociate Director, Financial Services Advisory at Grant Thornton, Nills Justine Senior Sales Director at INDEED and Tavengwa Tavengwa Associate Partner at EY
The Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) programme is designed to give access to the labour market for graduates with disability who have a Level 6 NFQ and above. AHEAD then work with a range of businesses (some of whom you can see in this image) to provide fully paid, graduate level work placements for a minimum of six months. All successful graduates placed with a WAM employer are given a mentor upon starting in the organisation that hires them, to ease their transition into the company and answer any questions the new employee may have. According to their website “The WAM Programme has provided over 650 placements for graduates with disabilities”.
Launched in 2021, The B!G Idea was created by Kim Mackenzie-Doyle with a vision to challenge Ireland’s 15-19 year olds to learn new skills that would help them create ideas for solving problems in their local schools or communities. The 12-week programme looks at all areas of creativity. In 2022 over 2500 young people from Transition Year, LCA and Youthreach have experienced The B!G Idea, supported by 501 industry mentors and 40+ corporate and third level partners.
The 12 week programme develops game-changing, creative thinking skills in students, bringing problem solving, resilience, empathy, critical thinking, research, communication and collaboration to 15 to 19 year olds at a time when it can make the BIGGEST difference.
It provides an empowering space for young people to learn creative skills, a space where failure is expected and encouraged. We connect education to industry through active mentoring for student teams with professionals based nationally and internationally. We move the creative innovation dial forward, giving our young people every advantage in any future direction they take.
Because one big idea can change their world.
Business In The Community has several different employment programmes to cater for different underrepresented groups in employment, and the common themes are improving candidates’ lack of interview preparation and understanding of Irish standards when preparing CV and Cover Letter. guidance, work experience opportunities and issues around stigmas of certain groups. These programmes include :
- EPIC a FREE employment programme that can help you integrate migrants to Ireland into Irish society by overcoming some of the most common barriers when looking for work or education
- Ready for Work, helps people with disabilities and health challenges and provides guidance, work experience and in-work support.
- The Women@Work programme supports women to return to the work force or enter it for the first time by connecting with businesses. It provides a next step for women who have already participated in existing high quality employability programmes but who have not yet found suitable employment.
- The Traveller Employment Programme supports Travellers to gain and sustain meaningful work over the long term.
Connecting Women in Technology (CWIT) – Digital Futures
According to their website “Digital Futures is a programme developed to raise students’ awareness of the diverse nature of career opportunities in the technology sector and promote STEM careers throughout Ireland. The programme consists of an interactive presentation designed to be delivered in secondary schools and is ideally suited for Transition year students (Age 15-18), before they choose their Leaving Cert subjects. However, it may also be of interest to 5th and 6th year students who are considering their CAO choices. A number of CWIT member companies and partners deliver this programme across Ireland, reaching in excess of 4,000 students each year.”
Fighting Words is a registered charity. Created by Seán Love and author Roddy Doyle, Fighting Words is empowering young people and adults to embrace their creativity and creative writing skills. As part of the Fighting Words participants are paired with mentors in their chosen creative field so that they can advise and improve the participants creative output.
Formula Female – Girls Go Karting Programme
According to their website “The Go Girls Karting & STEM workshop put Students into the roles found within motorsport teams such as Data Engineers, Mechanics, Drivers & more. The initiative not only opened the world of motorsport and the career opportunities through STEM but it also provided a pathway to participation through the Go Girls Karting Academy.
The Go Girls Academy ensured the most talented and most motivated students could remain in the sport. The top 8 drivers, identified through the Go Girls provincial Karting competition advanced to the Go Girls Academy to compete in a round of the Motorsport Ireland Karting Championship. Students with a motivated interest in STEM were invited to join the academy to gain more experience working in the industry to fulfil roles such as as engineers and mechanics.
The Academy discovered new female talent that would continue competing in the Karting Championships or continue their studies towards a career in STEM and Motorsport.
The Go Girls program also helped secure internships and careers with F1, US sportscars and other professional racing teams.
Created by Ireland’s biggest start-up accelerator programme in Dogpatch Labs The Founders Programme aims to bring together Ireland’s most exceptional talent and offer a network for these individuals to find a co-founder, build a startup, and pitch for €100k investment. The programme will culminate in an investor showcase of the newly created companies in March 2024.”
Those who join the programme can develop their own idea, or be matched with a co-founder. There is no particular area of expertise, however it is aimed at first time founders, rather than serial entrepreneurs.
Throughout the programme participants will be mentored by some of the biggest names in the start-up industry such as Bobby Healy of Mana, Mark Cummings of Pointy or Andrea Wade of ICIMS.
Founded in 1952 Fóroige is one of Ireland’s oldest social enterprises. According to their website “Foróige currently operates in 26 counties in Ireland, with more than 600 Foróige Clubs, 150 Youth Projects, the Big Brother Big Sister mentoring programme, the Foróige Youth Entrepreneurship programme, our Youth Citizenship and Youth Leadership programmes”.
Generation Ireland is an Irish charity that prepares, places, and supports people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible. They do this via a unique model that combines free, online profession-specific bootcamp training, with extensive mentorship support and active matchmaking to roles at employer partners. Founded in 2020, Generation Ireland has since supported a diverse group of approximately 500 learners, each facing significant barriers to employment, with 70% job outcomes for their graduates.
Created by Google, I Am Remarkable is a mentoring programme designed to increase recruitment of underrepresented groups in the workplace. Through their workshops, participants learn how to build self confidence, promote themselves, and network with like-minded individuals so that they can pursue their career goals wherever they may be.
Innovate Communities – Inspire Mentoring
INSPIRE mentoring for young people aged 18-25 the majority are first generation to get to college and have no professional role/modes. We use an online platform to allow them to select a mentor for them. We are an NFO and INSPIRE is funded by LinkedIn, IYF, Rethink, and Coca-Cola. We currently work with over 300 young people.According to their website “Inspire Mentoring is a unique social innovation that grew out of our work with young people in Ballymun and Finglas. They told us that they lacked additional support when in education and did not have access to professional contacts or networks. Using these insights, Inspire Mentoring was launched as a pilot programme in 2020 with 35 mentors and mentees.
Our aim is to connect marginalised young people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with a professional who has volunteered to become a mentor. We provide a digital platform and structure to facilitate excellent mentoring. Inspire Mentoring addresses the twin issues of Social Mobility and Social Capital. Specifically, that there are generations of young, talented people who lack the Social Mobility and Social Capital that results in equality of opportunity. Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.INSPIRE mentoring for young people aged 18-25 the majority are first generation to get to college and have no professional role/modes. We use an online platform to allow them to select a mentor for them. We are an NFO and INSPIRE is funded by LinkedIn, IYF, Rethink, and Coca-Cola. We currently work with over 300 young people.
We’re are always looking for mentors, if you or anyone in your network is interested in joining please let us know
MentorHer’s website states that “six-week online mentorship programme, where we support women in corporate careers, entrepreneurship and self-development. First, Mentors and Mentees are matched and connected together with our tried-and-tested 98% effective Matching technique behind the scenes. Week One is all about introductions: to the programme, to your Match, to our resources.
Then, for six weeks- for one hour a week- Mentors and Mentees meet privately on Zoom/phone/Teams at a time that suits them. All women in our programme are supported by weekly material in a choice of four categories: networking calls, live Q and As and workshops, alongside in-person networking events and small group dinners.”
The purpose of the Open Doors mentorship programme is to support job seekers from marginalised groups to meet their full potential and achieve their professional goals.
These might include:
- Identifying your learning needs and development goals
- Building “job readiness” skills (CV, Job Interview, etc.)
- Identifying up-skilling and training opportunities
- Receiving guidance and insight from professionals with experience in your sector of interest
- Building skills for future goals and milestones
Through this free programme, you will be matched with an experienced professional from an Open Doors member company like EY, LinkedIn and Microsoft (see all members here). The programme will last three to six months and will consist of six online individual sessions of one hour each.
To learn more, visit: https://opendoorsinitiative.ie/participants#odimentorshipprogramme
Small Firm Assocations – Mentors Work
The SFA Mentor Works Programme is designed to ‘put your business on the right path to success’. According to their website “We know that owning or managing a business can be difficult, with a wide range of challenges to navigate. Ensuring you have the right skills, tools and competencies to develop your business is a critical process.
The SFA Mentor Works Programme is designed to ‘put your business on the right path to success’. According to their website “We know that owning or managing a business can be difficult, with a wide range of challenges to navigate. Ensuring you have the right skills, tools and competencies to develop your business is a critical process. MentorsWork is here to support you, where it matters most. MentorsWork 12-week business-support programme provides targeted support to help SMEs across Ireland sustain and improve their business”. The programme is supported in part by SFA in partnership with Skillnet Ireland, Ibec, SBCI and Microfinance Ireland”
Social Entrepreneurs Ireland – Ideas Academy
THe Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s Idea’s Academy “is a nine-month accelerator programme that will provide you with specialised support to help you to bring your project or organisation to the next level, with a view to becoming a highly impactful, effective, scalable, and sustainable organisation.
Throughout the nine months, you will work with the Programme Manager to support you in key areas of need. We provide one-to-one support, coaching and consultancy as well as group training, in areas such as leadership development, communications, governance, strategic planning, fundraising, and resilience.
Impact Awardees receive unrestricted funding of €20,000 to support them to build strong foundations for their organisations and grow their impact, in addition to all non-financial supports mentioned above.
However, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria.
According to this article in Silicon Republic “The STEM Passport for Inclusion initiative was launched two years ago as a way to give young women equal opportunities to access STEM education. The programme is being undertaken by Maynooth University, Microsoft Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Education. So far, 1,250 students have taken part in the programme. The initiative plans to engage with a further 5,000 students and will see participants graduate from one of three partner universities, which are the Atlantic Technological University, Munster Technological University and Maynooth University.
“We currently have 2,000 students from DEIS schools registered in three universities taking the module. Furthermore, the students will have the opportunity to benefit from mentoring from more than 600 mentors from 40 companies across Ireland.”
According to their website “It is a weekend-long event where aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and problem-solvers come together to pitch, form teams, and launch startups within a 54-hour timeframe. The event is designed to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for women entrepreneurs but is open to all genders. The event is open to everyone, regardless of background, experience, or skill level. We especially encourage women and non-binary individuals to join, as this event is designed to empower and support underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship. In addition to the opportunity to launch a startup in just one weekend, you’ll have the chance to network with like-minded individuals, learn from experienced mentors, and gain valuable skills and knowledge to take with you on your entrepreneurial journey. And some prizes are available!
Teen-Turn aims to provide teen girls, particularly those from underserved areas, the opportunity to gain hands-on STEM experience so that they can visualize themselves in those kinds of careers and therefore make third level course choices accordingly. Through after school activities, work placements, mentoring, and alumnae networking and career development programming, we now support 1000+ girls from “Junior Cert to Job”.
More women with STEM qualifications, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, would affect employment rates, economic growth, nd fulfill the demand fet teens often struggle to imaginae what life might be like after university–at the very time they are making third level qualification choices. Teen-Turn provides girls the opportunity to experience what a career in STEM could be.
TU Dublin – Entrepreneurship Courses for underrepresented groups
In a first for Ireland in October 2021 TU Dublin ran a self-employment course designed for people with disabilities who want to become self employed. Professor Tom Cooney and his team in TU Dublin designed the course so that more people with disabilities can become entrepreneurs and gain the skills and tools to do so. The course will run over weeks and students will be assessed on their overall business plan at the end of the course.
Each week the students here from a successful Irish entrepreneur and at the start of the course the student is match to a mentor who can guide them on their journey
Reboot Programmes are designed to train and upskill women who have been out of work (for a variety of reasons) so that they can then reenter the workforce. An initiative by Technology Ireland Software Skillnet the project is funded by Skillnet Ireland, and according to their website “We have trained over 200 women to date who now work with many blue chip companies such as DELL, Optum Technologies and Version 1.”
Recently rebranded from Dress For Success, Work Equal is a Not For Profit designed to give women from underprivileged backgrounds bigger chances at landing a job. The company was originally set up to give women access to clothes for interviews so that they can give themselves a better chance of getting the job. Now the company also has job coaching and a network of companies where prospective women can avail of it if they want to join or rejoin the workforce.
The programme works to provide:
- Image Consulting
- Mentoring
- Work Preparedness (CV writing, interview skills etc)
- Job Readiness
- Support in the workplace environment
Young Social Innovators (YSI) is a non-profit organisation that empowers young people to use their talents, insights, passion and creativity to come up with innovative solutions to social challenges. Through fun and engaging programmes facilitated by trained educators, students are supported to create team-based action-projects on issues they care about, putting their innovative ideas into action to bring about positive social change for the benefit of people, communities and the environment.”
For twenty years, Young Social Innovators has been giving young people a voice and agency on the issues that matter to them and preparing them for a changing world by giving them a sense of control over how that world is shaped – into one that is more caring, equal and fair.