2021 Wine Industry Mentor Program

Wine Industry Mentor Program

The Wine Industry Mentor Program is proudly supported by Wine Communicators of Australia, The University of Adelaide, Wine Australia and the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology.

The program is designed to pair individuals with respected wine sector leaders and to provide them the chance to refine their skills and explore further opportunities by tapping into the experiences and insights from the best in their field.

This program aims to boost both personal and professional development in a future generations of wine industry professionals from across the sector by giving them:

Access to a wealth of knowledge from respected wine sector leaders
Greater career clarity, direction and satisfaction within the wine community
Networking opportunities with like-minded, ambitious early career professionals
Assistance with setting and achieving personal and professional goals and advice on career progression

Applications for the 2021 Wine Industry Mentor Program will open in early 2021.

Program

The Wine Industry Mentor Program is designed so that both mentee and mentor gain value from the program and foster strong relationship with each other and their peers. At the conclusion of the program, it is anticipated that:

Mentee will:
- Develop their career and leadership readiness skills, self-awareness and emotional intelligence and ability to communicate their views and opinions to people in a professional context
- Construct and monitor a plan for career preparation and early career development
- Reflect critically and self-evaluate on their skills, capabilities and needs in relation to career preparation and early career performance
- Achieved the initial objectives and goals as well as have program expectations met
- Enhanced understanding of the wine communications profession and sector

Mentor will:
- See the growth and development of their mentee
- Develop a touch point of young wine sector professionals of today
- Have enhanced awareness and inclusive leadership capabilities through reflections triggered by the perspective of the mentee

The Wine Industry Mentor Program runs for 6 months over the period of May – October.

Pairing of mentor and mentee
Each successful mentee is paired with a mentor based on personality-fit, experience and interests, desired career path and location.

Administration of the program
The Program Facilitator will administer the Wine Industry Mentor Program with the support of the other program partners for the 6 month duration.

Program deliverables and events
During the program the mentee, with the support of the mentor, will have certain obligations including:
• Attending the initial meet and greet (in person or via phone/digital)
• Attending one-on-one meetings at least once per month for 6 months (in person or via phone/digital)
• Submitting to WCA post-program feedback and testimonial

Program Outcomes

This program aims to boost both personal and professional development in a future generation of wine professionals by:

Giving a new generation of wine professionals access to a wealth of knowledge from respected industry leaders
Targeted and expert training of future and young wine professionals in the industry by those already respected in the field
Forging relationships between current and future leading wine professionals
Networking within peer groups, with like-minded, young wine industry communicators; forging these connections early in their career
Giving applicants greater career clarity and advice on developing their own direction to pursue within the industry
Assisting applicants set and achieve personal and professional goals and advise on career progression
Lifting the standard, cohesiveness and volume of wine professionals
Connecting program partners to both the current and future generation of wine professionals

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Wine Industry Mentor Program, a Mentee must:

Be an Australian resident for the duration of the program
Have gained at least two years’ work experience in the wine industry

Mentee Obligations

Must be prepared to stay in contact with the mentor and the program facilitator for the term of the agreement (program length) and undertake each of the activities in the program toolkit
Understand and discuss their expectations for the program, the purpose and how it will work in practice with their mentor
Attend regular one-on-one or virtual meetings – venue, dates and time to be arranged by the mentee in consultation with the mentor. The monthly time commitment of the program will be a minimum of one hour depending on the relationship built and personal style
Submit to the program facilitator post-program feedback and testimonial (template will be provided)

Mentor Obligations

Must be prepared to stay in contact with the mentee and the program facilitator for the term of the agreement (program length) and undertake each of the activities in the program toolkit
Understand and discuss their expectations for the program, the purpose and how it will work in practice with their mentee
Attend the Mentor information/training session (in person or remotely)
Attend regular one-on-one or virtual meetings – venue, dates and time to be arranged by the mentee in consultation with the mentor. The monthly time commitment of the program will be a minimum of one hour depending on the relationship built and personal style
Submit to the program facilitator post-program feedback and testimonial (template will be provided)

Mentors

The Wine Industry Mentor program boasts Australia’s most highly respected and experience wine sector leaders, who are passionate about wine and the future of the Australian wine industry. These individuals are giving their time willingly and voluntarily to support and foster the growth of the Australian wine sector.

The role of the mentor is to facilitate the learning and development of the mentee, to advise and provide knowledge and an experienced perspective on their chosen career paths.

See below for a list of past mentors.

Expressions of interest to be involved in the 2021 Program can be sent to wca@winecommunicators.com.au.

“The Wine Communicators’ Australia Mentor Program can change lives for the better.

Being a mentor has opened my eyes to the wealth of unaddressed talent just waiting to be recognised and helped early in their careers. I have been fortunate to work with an amazing and talented young woman who has the potential to excel as a wine writer. She has natural talent, a top-rate trained palate, enthusiasm to burn, an intelligent and questioning mind and fantastic writing skills. She’s taking a massive leap of faith, and I see my role as helping her succeed. And she will!”

Jeni Port, Independent Wine Writer