Mentor Programme

Introduced in 2001. the Programme has an annual intake of over 100 Form 6 and new Form 5 students as mentees and has built up a resource pool of over 130 alumni mentors whose backgrounds and experiences span a broad range of business, professional, academic and government fields. As an integral part of the Programme, group activities are regularly organized for voluntary participation by the mentees.

How the Programme Works

• Before the end of the school year, an introductory briefing will be hosted by the Chairman of the Mentor Programme Committee for all Form 4 students
• In September, students in Form 5 submit applications to join the Programme as mentees
• Each mentee is paired with a mentor based on his/her academic and career preferences
• In October, the Programme commences with the mentees initiating contact with the mentors
• Mentors and mentees are encouraged to meet at least three times during an academic year in addition to communicating and interacting through other channels
• Mentees participate in the Programme's group activities such as Career Day, Interview Workshop and firm visits which help prepare them for university
• Mentees who maintain satisfactory participation in the Programme as judged by the Mentor Programme Committee will be issued a Completion Certificate as recognition

Our Mentors - a Rich Pool of Resource

Our pool of over 130 mentors includes business executives and entrepreneurs, seasoned professionals, established academics and government officials and we are targeting younger alumni at earlier stages of their careers to join the pool. Their life experiences and their readiness to support their younger counterparts in St. Paul's provide a valuable resource for the personal development of the mentees.
An approximate percentage breakdown of our mentors by background / sector is as follows:

Group Activities in 2010-2011 Academic Year

The Mentor Programme Committee

Accountable to the School Council and with Dr Anissa Chan as Adviser, the Mentor Programme Committee plans and manages the operation of the Programme. Annual activities include recruitment of new mentors and mentees, organizing activities, monitoring programme effectiveness and enhancing the services of the Programme to best address the ever-changing needs of the mentees. Committee members are all SPCC alumni and serve a three-year term.

The 2011-2012 Committee

Message from the Chairman

As the Chairman of the Mentor Programme Committee, I extend a warm welcome and greetings to my fellow mentors, past and present mentees and our alumni. I am honoured to continue the fine traditions of this programme, which is now in the eleventh year since its inception. I would like to thank a number of our past committee members who has given us their support and dedications and a warm welcome to our newly elected Associate Committee members. We look forward to your participations and contributions to the new term ahead.

For the 10/11 school year, we continued a number of events to further enrich the life experience of our mentees while they progress along their path to pursue university studies. With the implementation of the 3-3-4 programme, we had over 195 mentees enrolled from both sixth/fifth forms. Some of our mentors were assigned more than one mentee due to this increment of mentees and we sincerely thank them for their patience, hard work and understanding.

We held our Welcome/Kickoff ceremony for all mentees. mentors in “October 2010 and Career Day in November, a half day event inviting past alumni/speakers to present an overview and experience in a number of career fields polled by the interests of last year’s mentees. The key topics covered were medical, law and business. In Jan/Feb 2010, we held an interview workshop to provide first hand tips and experience sharing for mentees to prepare for their university entrance interviews. Then in March/April, we scheduled visits to Modern Terminal Limited and Maxim’s.

The Mentor Programme Committee and our mentors also assisted the School to organize a College Fair for all students in the Fourth Form and above in May 2010.

The Committee and myself will endeavor to do our utmost to deliver an enriching and challenging experience to our new mentees.

We welcome your comments and suggestions as how to continue to improve this programme. We are always interested in alumni from different career and professions to participate as mentors. Please feel free to drop us a note via Emily Tong of the School’s Administration Office at spcc-thl@spcc.edu.hk.

Samantha Suen

Chairman

November 2011

What Past Mentees Say about the Programme

“I can talk to my mentor about any questions I have for my future.”
“It was a great chance for me to broaden my horizons.”
“I got to know more about the career prospect and personal experience of my mentor.”
“My mentor shared his personal life experiences and gave me good advice, which helped me when I was choosing universities.”
“I like the person-to-person meeting aspect of the programme.”
“(What I liked most about the programme is) meeting people of different professions. The most interesting thing is learning about their life (perspectives and attitudes) in addition to their career.”

On Career Day:

“The experiences of the speakers are very useful in helping us to decide what profession to choose in the future.”
“Very useful, providing opportunities to gain insights about different industries, providing professional advice.”
“It is a very precious time. Thanks to the respectable speakers, I could have a much clearer idea in my choice of career path.”

On Interview Workshop:

“The Interview Workshop…helped me a lot in the preparation for my EAS interviews… Not only did the skills apply to EAS interviews, but also to the interviews in the life-long journey...The sharing of the past graduates was very informative and inspiring...”
“As the university offers came in this week, I could not help but thought of how much the Interview Workshop had helped my EAS interviews…in fact, on my interview days, I brought only three things: a pen, a resume, and SPCC Interview Workshop notes!”

FAQs

Who in the school can I contact if I am interested in knowing more?

Please contact Ms Judy Sum at Staff Room B or Ms Emily Tong at the Administration Office for more information on the Programme.

What can I expect from my mentor?

A mentor's role includes:

• Adviser: willing to share his/her knowledge and life experiences
• Supporter: providing emotional encouragement and support
• Resource Person: providing information about career/academic opportunities
• Role Model: the kind of person one aspires to be

What am I expected to do as a mentee?

• Make prompt and earnest effort to contact your mentor on a consistent basis
• Be polite, punctual
• Be pro-active, open-minded
• Be humble, grateful
• Respect your mentor's time
• Be responsible for yourself
• Participate… the benefit you reap from the Programme is a direct function of how actively you participate in the activities and in meeting your mentor

Can I participate in some Programme activities and not others?

You are encouraged to participate in all activities as they are all designed to facilitate your appreciation and preparation for your next stage in life. A Completion Certificate will be presented to you if you maintain satisfactory participation in the Programme, including contact with your mentor, as judged by the Programme Management Committee.

Can I drop out if I do not want to continue after joining the Programme?

We expect your continual participation once you have joined the Programme, as this is the case with all commitments in life. You should try to find out more before you join if you have any doubts. If you do find serious difficulty after joining due to other commitments, you should discuss with your mentor or Ms Judy Sum and try to resolve it positively.

Can I continue in the Programme even after leaving SPCC?

Your formal participation as a mentee in the Programme ends when you complete Form 5, however, subject to the availability of your mentor, you may continue to keep in contact with your mentor, as quite a few past mentees do. You may also contribute your support and assistance towards helping the Programme Management Committee organize future activities. We welcome your continual link with us.