eMentoring lets students get career advice from working adults

By Amy Crawford

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW  

February 28, 2010

Bobbie Jo Mack, a senior studying drafting and design at the Parkway West Career and Technology Center, was not sure what to do after graduation.

Mack, 18, of Montour was torn between architecture, which she preferred, and engineering, which her parents felt would be more lucrative. So she turned to a mentor, the owner of a local engineering firm, for advice.

“He told me whatever career path I chose should be my choice,” Mack said.

Mack, who now wants to attend California University of Pennsylvania for architectural drafting, communicated with the engineer through PA eMentoring, a new program that connects local high school students with adults in the working world.

The online system was created by Smart Futures, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that designs programs to prepare students for careers. After a pilot program last year, Smart Futures rolled out the system this year in 30 schools, with 500 students and 100 employers participating.

“There’s obviously a need for mentoring,” said Dave Mosey, executive director of Smart Futures. “The work place is so complex and the need for skills is so great.”

Unfortunately, Mosey said, logistics and legal issues make mentoring programs a difficult proposition for schools. The Internet, Mosey said, presented a solution.

“Schools don’t have to be responsible for the logistics of how to get mentors to the kids,” Mosey said.

The online system also work well for mentors, who are not required to take time off work for face-to-face meetings. Many area employers, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Bank of New York Mellon Corp., American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., have encouraged employees to participate.

“It’s very convenient for both sides,” said Nate West, a software developer at American Eagle who is in his second year as a mentor. “If I have five minutes, I can write an e-mail.”

West, 26, said it was easy to identify with the teenage students.

“I remember when I was going through that,” he said. “I really didn’t have anyone to support me. These are 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders, so they’ve never been out in the work world before. I’ll often get students who are interested in computers, but they’re not really aware of what careers are out there.”

Mary Fore, a UPMC nurse educator, was paired with a student who wanted to be a nurse in an neonatal intensive care unit but also was considering culinary school.

“I’m hoping to help her make a really informed decision,” Fore said. “I wish someone had been there for me. No one in my family ever went to college. No one even knew how to apply.”

Pat Gambridge, a program coordinator in the career and technical education department of Pittsburgh Public Schools, said more than 250 students there were involved with eMentoring.

“A lot of our students are in settings where they can’t ask people, ‘Should I continue my education, and how can I continue my education?’” Gambridge said.

Montoring “is the most simple thing that you can do to help students,” said Gambridge, who signed up to be an eMentor herself.

Smart Futures is still looking for eMentors, said Mosey. Anyone interested in mentoring is asked to visit pa-ementor.org.