About the Programme
The International Women in Resources Mentoring Programme (IWRMP) is an annual cross-company programme established in 2018 to promote and empower women to progress their careers, overcome professional challenges and build confidence for achievement and industry leadership.
This unique 6-month, structured and results-orientated initiative is very successful, growing year on year and continuously improving, for consistently excellent ratings from mentees and mentors. To date, IWRMP has facilitated the personal and professional growth of 200 mentees, including 56 scholars, with a record 70 mentees participating in 2021 from over 20 countries. We are increasingly offering the opportunity for mentees to be matched in their native language, in addition to English.
IWRMP places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, aiming to reduce cross-cultural barriers by creating partnerships between talented, driven mentees and senior industry leaders committed to the promotion of women in mining. Mentees benefit greatly from the guidance and insight of the inspirational men and women mentoring them, who in turn expand their understanding of younger professionals’ perspectives and challenges. These individual benefits extend to positively impact participants’ teams and organisations, improving the position and opportunities of women across the mining sector.
How it works
IWRMP provides a high-quality framework which facilitates the mentoring relationship and allows both mentee and mentor to benefit from the experience. The focus of mentorship is on setting career goals and plans and achieving them.
IWRMP strategically aligns mentors with mentees. The structured format provides the highest level of support and regular engagement milestones, beginning with a thought-provoking training session and comprehensive guidance documents for mentors and mentees.
The programme usually runs from April to October. Each mentee has at least six sessions with their mentor. The programme also offers webinars on additional leadership topics and opportunities for participants to connect and network.
As mentees and mentors often hail from different places, communities and disciplines, the relationships also serve to reduce cross-cultural barriers. IWRMP promoters ensure that women from all continents participate, including from emerging markets.
Mentee Eligibility
- This programme is aimed at mentees with at least five years’ experience
- Perfect for recently promoted professionals, or people who find themselves at a pivotal moment in their careers or who feel that there is a glass ceiling above them
- Can be used by multinational employers to support talent in jurisdictions where they need to focus on their licence to operate and build capacity in local workforce
- Can also be offered across multiple seniority levels and professions
Time Commitment for Mentees
Mentees will be expected to dedicate quite a number of hours on top of their busy schedule and home life to focus on the programme.
- Compulsory: initial training session, 6 to 9 sessions with their mentor, session preparation and follow up work
- Optional: webinars and networking opportunities, programme finale celebration
Scholar Eligibility
Creating unique opportunities for women, including wholly or partially-funded access to pioneering initiatives such as IWRMP, is integral to IWiM’s purpose and impact. Scholarships will be offered to women working in, with and around the mining sector, primarily in emerging markets or among disadvantaged groups, who do not have an industry sponsor and are unable to self-fund their participation in IWRMP. IWiM’s Scholarship Committee apply a rigorous selection process and criteria including candidates’ leadership potential. Candidates must have at least 5 years’ experience in mining and 25 years of age, and hold a university degree, technical college qualification or trade training.
Mentor Eligibility
IWRMP mentors are female and male senior leaders in the resources industry, inspirational men and women committed to the promotion of women in mining.
- At least 20 years’ experience (most of our mentors have 25+), with seniority and experience with mining companies/mining consultancies across all professions and industry roles
- International work experience
- Head of department, senior manager reporting to executive level/C-suite or any level above
- A passion for giving back, and capacity for empathy, as mentees may be in challenging situations and conversations may sometimes veer into the personal and family realms
- Commitment to make themselves available to their mentee every 3 weeks for a period of 6 months, to maintain focus and momentum in the discussions
Mentors play a vital role as senior role models in enhancing global retention and promotion of women in mining; they support but also push mentees beyond their expectations, sharing valuable tools and insight to help them progress on their own leadership journey.
Time commitment for Mentors
- Compulsory: initial training session (if first time as mentor on the programme), at least 6-8 sessions with their mentee (12 hours)
- Optional: additional sessions with their mentee, webinars and networking opportunities, programme finale celebration
Sponsorship
Would your organisation like to be a champion for change and participate in a global cross-company mentoring programme?
Does the International Women in Resources Mentoring Programme (IWRMP) align with your company values?
Applications for IWRMP 2022 are now open. Contact us at info@iwrmp.com
