The degree of difficulty digital trust professionals face in their roles seems to rise with each passing year.
Whether it is grappling with the impacts of emerging technology, a daunting threat landscape, meeting shifting regulatory challenges, or keeping up with the pace of business in our technology-driven world, the work that ISACA members perform takes knowledge, tenacity and a willingness to keep learning.
Sometimes, it also takes a trusted colleague or two to lend a helping hand.
While no single person has all the answers when it comes to meeting the many challenges of our digital ecosystem, by tapping into the ISACA network’s collective expertise, our global community can accomplish so much. The ISACA Mentor Program is playing a central role in setting those valuable career connections in motion.
The ISACA Mentor Program facilitates one-to-one mentorship connections and brings together ISACA members at all stages of their careers who want to give or receive professional development support. Career mentoring helps participants expand their professional networks, gain new knowledge and insights, and build new skills.
In 2020 and 2021, ISACA conducted pilot versions of the mentorship program, which proved to be popular with our members. Among last year’s cohort:
- 96 percent of surveyed participants felt the program strengthens ISACA’s community
- 91 percent felt the program adds value to their ISACA membership
- 83 percent said it supported their professional development
The program facilitates mentorship matches with guided but flexible connection plans and allows matches to be made on a rolling basis. Participants complete a profile and become part of a directory of mentors and mentees that can be used to select a partner aligned with their individual professional goals. The platform provides a centralized location for mentorship partners to connect, chat, share documents, schedule meetings, and more.
ISACA’s mentorship program also offers supplemental learning opportunities. These include invitations to participate in quarterly meetups through ISACA’s One In Tech foundation – with a focus on industry topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and representing untapped talent in the tech workforce – and invitations to join Engage online communities specifically for mentors and mentees.
One of the best aspects of the program is the opportunities it offers for professionals at all stages of their careers. Being mentored is not just for students or recent graduates. Many mentees have more than a decade of professional experience but are still enthused to connect with industry professionals and learn new ideas and approaches. The program also provides a great opportunity to become a mentor and give back to the community in truly meaningful fashion (while earning CPEs along the way … participants in the program can earn up to 10 CPEs annually!)
Whether you’re looking to find somebody to talk through a professional challenge, make new career connections or lend a helping hand to the next wave of digital trust professionals, the ISACA Mentor Program is an outstanding resource to tap into – and it will be even stronger with you in it. Find out more about the program – and how to participate – at https://engage.isaca.org/mentorship.