Do you have a plan to ensure the long-term viability of the broker profession? Have you ever thought about your firm’s next generation of management? Does sharing your expertise and professional experience with younger people appeal to you? Why not start by volunteering with a mentoring program? There’s no doubt that over the long term, it’s a great option for those who want to make sure that the next generation is passionate and poised to take up the baton. Learn more and become a mentor while inspiring the next generation!

What does mentoring involve? What role does a mentor play?

Mentoring involves providing personalized assistance and professional support for individuals who are younger and/or less experienced. The goal is to develop their sense of passion and hone their skills within a given profession.

In other words, mentoring is a personal development and learning activity based on a relationship between an experienced professional (the mentor), who hands down his or her expertise and skills to another person (the mentee).

Your role as mentor includes holding discussions with young people, answering their questions and sharing your professional insights with them, as well as your expertise in your field. This process often sparks a sense of passion and helps young people find their dream career more easily.

The objective of a mentoring program is to ensure that the next generation benefits from sound advice and has effective tools in place so they can achieve their career goals, acquire professional skills and navigate the road ahead more clearly.

If you are a broker, why become a mentor?

Mentoring young people gives you a remarkable opportunity to:

• Promote the broker profession and boost its visibility.
• Raise young people’s awareness and orient them in their new career.
• Demystify the profession and the insurance sector so young people have a clearer picture of the industry and its many opportunities.
• Forge lasting bonds with the next generation.
• Transfer knowledge and passion to future generations.
• Support the new generation’s professional development.
• Develop your leadership abilities so you continue to acquire new professional skills.
• Enhance your résumé with your volunteer experience.
• Expand your professional network by being part of a community.

How do I become a mentor?

Academos, a non-profit organization that links young people aged 14 to 30 with the realities of the working world, offers a mentoring program via an online app that allows thousands of professionals who feel passionately about their career to dialogue with the younger generation.

Today, over 135,000 young people are registered on Academos’s platform, together with a community of over 3,300 active mentors from various sectors. There are 19,100 mentor/mentee pairings per year.

Meanwhile, the Coalition pour une relève en assurance de dommage, a proud partner of the RCCAQ, has also worked for several years with Academos by participating actively in the recruitment of mentors and taking part in various initiatives, such as the Coalition pour la persévérance scolaire (aimed at encouraging young people to stay in school).

To join the community of volunteer mentors, sign up today and help the next generation in their future career path.

The Academos app is free to download and available to young people and mentors across Quebec, as well as to members of Ontario’s francophone community.

For further information, please consult their website. We look forward to seeing many of you take part in the mentoring program. That way, you can represent our profession in the community of volunteer professional mentors while explaining and promoting the broker profession to the new generation!