GSSA

Mentorship

SACNASP Candidate Mentoring Programme (CMP)

SACNASP Candidate Mentoring Programme (CMP)

The SACNASP Candidate Mentoring Programme (CMP) is run in conjunction with Voluntary Associations like the GSSA and provides prospective professional scientists with a mentor who will help them advance from candidate to professional status, provide them with the skills they need to perform to their fullest capacity and empower them to set and achieve goals for their professional and personal development.

The first GSSA Mentoring Programme began in 2020. To date, thirty-five young professionals have taken advantage of the programme.

The one-year mentoring programme is open to geoscientists, who are:

  • Younger than thirty-five with less than 3 years of experience
  • Registered with SACNASP in the Candidate Category AND
  • GSSA members.

Benefits

Mentorship is important because it provides individuals with the opportunity to develop and become more competent in their roles as well as prepare for growth opportunities in the future. Mentors can provide specific insights and information that enable the mentee’s success, help set personal or professional development goals, and hold their mentee accountable for their goals. For mentees, benefits include guidance and advice from an expert, increased confidence, awareness of other approaches, opportunities to test new ideas and learn important processes, an understanding of how organizations function, and a network of peers. For mentors, benefits include boosting interpersonal skills, strengthening their knowledge, and developing leadership skills.

Specifically, the GSSA mentee will experience the following benefits:

  • Individual and group mentoring sessions
  • GSSA events and field trips
  • GSSA courses and talks on YouTube.
  • Networking through
    • GSSA online events
    • GSSA networking events
    • Free partner talks by universities and other organisations
  • Volunteer opportunities within the GSSA as well as Branches and Divisions of the GSSA

Mentors

In order for the GSSA to continue this fundamentally important programme, we need YOU to volunteer to be a mentor. We are looking for only 40 hours of your me for a one-year cycle. Any geoscientist (from all branches of geoscience) can be a mentor. We need youthful exuberance as well as experience from those who have been younger for longer.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

All events organised by the GSSA under the mentorship programme attract CPD credits. These credits can be logged on either the GSSA or the SACNASP website. It is not necessary to log them in both places – an MOU with SACNASP allows GSSA members to log their credits on the GSSA website and be recognised by SACNASP.

All mentees are required to attend the free presentation by the GSSA on CPD for Geoscientists. This short (2-hour) event identifies the different categories of CPD credits, how to log them and how to claim them on both the SACNASP and GSSA systems. Both mentors and mentees can claim CPD credits for engaging in the mentorship programme.

Mentors can claim time spent:

  • In formal mentoring under Knowledge Contribution (claim three CPD credits for every hour spent in formal mentoring sessions) AND
  • In attending lunchtime lectures organized by the mentorship programme under Self-directed Study and Informal Learning (claim 1⁄4 CPD credit for every hour) AND
  • In informal mentoring sessions under Professional Practice (claim 1/8 CPD credit for every informal hour).

Mentees can claim time spent:

  • In formal GSSA courses under Formal Learning (claim one CPD credit/hr, or 8 credits/day). AND
  • In attending lunchtime lectures organized by the mentorship programme under Self-directed
  • Study and Informal Learning (claim 1⁄4 CPD credit for every hour) AND
  • In informal mentoring sessions under Professional Practice (claim 1/8 CPD credit for every informal hour).

Events

– TBA –

GSSA Partners

The GSSA works closely with professionals in the industry to provide the best resources for our members.  You will already be familiar with Briony Liber and Mark Turpin who provide mentoring and coaching, among many other services.

Briony Liber does one-on-one coaching as well as online courses including; Position Your Expertise on LinkedIn, Manage Your Career Like a Business, and Connect with Your Business.  Briony’s Optimise Your Career Mentoring Programme kicks off in mid-March.

Take a look at what the programme offers here.

Mark Turpin is an Executive Coach, Mediator, Organisational Development Consultant and Lecturer.  Mark facilitates the GSSA group mentoring sessions.

 

Contact

Contact Noleen Pauls at noleen.pauls@gmail.com.