IPAC Launches New Mentorship Program

IPAC is launching a unique mentorship program not to be found anywhere else, called IPAC Mentors.

IPAC mentorships connect managers and new directors with senior government and public administration leaders from across Canada. Managers and directors will learn how to make their career narrative a compelling showcase for their skills. They will learn about effective communication skills, how to brief leaders, and how to avoid common management mistakes.

The Process for Mentorships

Any current Institutional Partner (IP) may nominate one or several individuals for this program, depending on the IP level. Currently, there is a commitment to support up to 30 mentoring opportunities across all IPs. More will be added as new IPs join.

IPAC will then match the mentoring candidate with an appropriate senior public servant in another organization across Canada, usually at the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) or Deputy level. Mentoring candidates will meet with a leader at another level of government or in a different province or territory. Mentors may also be recently retired ADMs or Deputy Ministers.

IPAC’s Commitment

·         A 30-minute introductory individual or group session with IPAC (Director of Communications and Learning, or a trained IPAC volunteer).

·         Six or more one-hour small group sessions (structured over four to six months) with a senior leader in government. 

·         Career Skill Set Focus

o   The first formal session will comprise each mentoring partner telling their career story in a five-minute narrative, with “real life” feedback from the senior leader and the peer group.

o   The subsequent sessions, over the following six months, will follow structured topics and questions, based on prior submissions from the mentoring candidates, with a range of more specific, practical tactics to consider.

o   IPAC would provide a Certificate of Completion to each participant.

IPAC Mentors at Maturity

IPAC is a professional development organization that can bring demonstrable value to career discussions. After an initial six-to-nine-month trial period, IPAC will evaluate the success of the initial mentoring program, and potentially recalibrate. With a larger pool of mentors created over time, IPAC may wish to offer several streams of mentoring, focused on roles based in policy, operations, or communications.

Unique Experience

Each participant will have an opportunity to learn from a senior government or public administration leader in a different environment than the one in which they work. They will learn how to effectively showcase their skills to advance their career opportunities. Even more important, they will be immersed in conversations about the culture of public service.

A unique feature of IPAC Mentors is the cross-pollination between municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government and the mentoring candidate. As much as possible, the IPAC Mentors experience should free the candidate from being attached to internal hierarchies within their own workplace during the mentoring sessions. Another benefit from being part of a small group outside one’s own department or ministry and level of government is creation of a sense of relaxed anonymity. Part of the exercise is a modest reinvention of self.

To learn more about existing institutional partnership package and customization options click here or contact David Fulford at [email protected] for more details.