Mentorship

Are you a young professional in energy passionate about supporting the next generation of clean energy leaders? Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort are now open!

Mentors and Career Specialists, Apply here!

Opportunities for Young Professionals

YPE NYC’s mentorship program is designed to support undergraduate students interested in a clean energy career while providing leadership opportunities for young energy professionals to serve as Mentors or Career Specialists (see position descriptions below). If you’re instead interested in finding a mentor or receiving professional development for your own career, check out these other great programs: Clean Energy Leadership Institute and Women in Energy Mentorship.

Both Mentors and Career Specialists are dedicated members of the energy community who are passionate about building a rich, diverse workforce to propel the clean energy transition. Mentors are paired with two Mentees that they will work with throughout the duration of the nine-month program. Career Specialists meet with a different Mentee each month to provide constructive feedback on their resume, cover letter, and/or graduate school application.

You must be located in or near NYC and have at least three years of professional experience (this may include graduate studies) to apply for either position. Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color; women; and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community are especially encouraged to apply.

Apply to be a Mentor if…

You can commit ~4-5 hours a month to the program.
You can commit to mentoring one mentee, meeting with each for at least ~1 hour per month to provide insight into energy careers and share professional advice and guidance.
You can commit to designing and executing at least one educational event for Mentees over the course of the program.
You are excited to form a professional friendship with two undergraduate students over the course of 9 months.
You enjoy spending time with and giving advice to young people.

Apply to be a Career Specialist if…

You can commit ~2 hours a month to the program.
You can commit to meeting with a different mentee each month for ~1 hour to provide feedback on their resume, cover letter, and/or grad school application materials.
You are an excellent writer, have led professional hiring decisions in the past, and enjoy helping people craft strong application materials.
You are excited to meet and support various undergraduate students over the course of 9 months.
You enjoy spending time with and giving advice to young people.

What are the expectations for Mentors?

Mentors are expected to dedicate ~4-5 hours per month for the duration of the program. The YPE NYC Mentorship Program annually brings together 12 mentors with 12 mentees.

Development Events and other opportunities:

Mentors will be invited to each of the four Development Events - Community Building, Networking, Clean Energy Bootcamp and Final Presentations/End-of-Program Celebration. It is expected that Mentors can attend at least two of the events and may be asked to help support the event, such as by creating training material for the Bootcamp. Additionally, we encourage all mentors to bring any interesting ideas they have for events to the group and we can help get them organized.

One-on-one meetings:

Each month, Mentors will coordinate one 60-min or two 30-min one-on-one meetings with their Mentee. These sessions could include, for example, a conversation on career paths and how they may align with a Mentee’s aspirations; a review of a Mentee’s opportunities after graduation; a discussion on a topic of choice; or a fun relationship-building activity.

Program development:

Both Mentors and Mentees will be expected to thoughtfully complete short bi-monthly feedback surveys designed for the continual improvement of the program. They will also be invited to join the YPE NYC Mentorship Alumni group upon the conclusion of the program. Alums are invited to help promote future years of the program and to attend celebratory mentorship events uplifting a dynamic and inclusive NYC energy workforce.

What are the expectations for Career Specialists?

Career Specialists are expected to dedicate ~2 hours per month for the duration of the program.

One-on-one meetings:

Career Specialists will schedule a one hour session with a different Mentee each month to review their resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and/or grad school application materials. Mentees will be asked to send all written materials at least 3 days in advance of their session; Career Specialists should plan to spend at least an hour reviewing materials in advance of the session so as to provide thoughtful and constructive feedback.

Scheduling:

Career Specialists will make their monthly scheduling availability visible to Mentees at least three months in advance through a Google Sheet. Mentees will have the responsibilty of setting up the meeting. The Mentorship Team will remind Mentees to sign up for a session with a Career Specialist at least twice throughout the duration of the program.

When and where will the 2024 program take place?

The 2023 mentorship program runs nine months from September 2024 to May 2025. Development events will be held in-person. If they feel comfortable doing so, Mentors are encouraged to meet with their Mentees in person at least once at the beginning of the program. However, they are not required to do so if both parties feel comfortable meeting virtually. Career Specialists can choose whether to meet Mentees in person or virtually based on the comfort level and availability of both parties.

Mentorship Program Development Events:

All Development Events will be in-person. Mentors and Career Specialists are required to attend at least 2 events. Mentors and Career Specialists will schedule their one-on-one sessions with Mentees based on their availability.

Community Building Event - Get a chance to connect with your fellow mentors and the other mentees! Help the cohort build their professional network and practice professional development skills.
Clean Energy Bootcamp - spend a day teaching the cohort about various topics in clean energy from your own experience. Possible topics include: Clean Energy Justice and Advocacy, energy policy and regulations, clean technologies, project finance and energy data.
Leadership Training - work with the mentees on developing leadership skills critical to their future careers.
Final Presentations and program-end celebration - Watch and give feedback on your mentee’s final project and celebrate the end of the program!

How do I apply?

Applications for both Mentors and Career Specialists are now open until Sunday, 4/7 at 11:59pm. Feel free to reach out to the YPE NYC Mentorship Team with any questions: mentorship@ypenyc.org.

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