In this week’s column, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) explains why mentoring can be a powerful tool to combat contemporary issues such as the gender pay gap, leadership inequality and widespread gender bias, both conscious and unconscious.
Mentoring has become a powerful tool to combat modern issues such as the gender pay gap, leadership inequality and widespread gender bias, both conscious and unconscious. It plays a crucial role in personal and professional development, promoting growth and creating a more supportive and effective workplace and company culture for everyone. Research shows that 75% of executives attributing their success to mentors and all that 90% of employees be happy at work with a career mentor.
“Mentorship is an essential responsibility for both mentors and mentees, fostering mutual growth and development. Through mentorship, women can discover paths they may never have known existed, acquire new skills, explore untapped markets, and discover innovative ways to advance within their organizations. It has the power to unlock hidden talents, inspire women to give back and cultivate the next generation of female leaders,” said Giorgia Epicoco, Senior EU Affairs Manager and Sustainability Lead at Huawei.
Nevertheless, women and minorities face more barriers to accessing business mentoring 71% of executives choosing to mentor employees of the same gender or race. These statistics underscore the importance of industry mentoring programs for women that go beyond corporate mentoring. While corporate mentoring is valuable for immediate, company-specific support and integration, industry mentoring offers broader, unbiased and strategic benefits that can significantly enhance a mentee’s career development and long-term adaptability within the industry.
Industry mentors can provide valuable knowledge about industry trends, best practices and unwritten rules because they understand the specific challenges women face in the field and can provide tailored advice on overcoming these challenges, sharing personal experiences and practical solutions that are relevant to the sector. This insight and support system is critical to staying competitive, making informed career decisions, and avoiding common pitfalls that could slow their progress.
“The scarcity of women in senior positions results in a limited pool of female mentors who can provide guidance in dealing with gender-specific challenges. This scarcity highlights the critical need for mentoring in the industry, as it could provide more opportunities for finding mentors and therefore improve the support system for women in the solar industry.
Current renewable energy mentorship programs are outdated, so women still need help finding the right mentors. Overcoming this limitation has been our primary focus in developing the WiSEu Mentoring platform. We have devoted significant effort and resources to ensure that the platform is a valuable resource for women and minorities. “Having a mentor in the same industry who has successfully navigated similar challenges is an opportunity that can be incredibly inspiring for women to become leaders, so we make sure we make those connections,” says Carmen Madrid, WiSEu (Women in Solar Europe) Founder.
“Guiding, supporting, educating women and helping them build confidence and find their voice are essential to our industries. The new generation comes with a new set of soft skills and hard skills, so there is also a need for reverse mentoring to understand how young professionals and newcomers work. We ensure that we provide a mental safety net where everyone can learn from each other,” says Aga Michalak, Head of Marketing and ESG Europe at Jinko.
Ready to start your mentoring journey, support women in the solar industry and be inspired? Visit www.wiseu.network for more information.
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