Northeast State Community College is proud to announce the creation of the I-LEAD Mentoring and Engagement Program, designed to empower and inspire the next generation of leaders.
The program is being developed thanks to the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Student Engagement Retention and Success grant awarded to successful applicants for the 2024-25 academic year. The I-LEAD Mentoring and Engagement Program enhances student engagement and success by creating a program that focuses on matching students with mentors in the labor force.
Northeast State Assistant Director of Sponsored Programs Dr. Dumisa Nyarambi cites considerable research demonstrating how employers are seeking applicants who possess academic qualifications and essential skills, often referred to as “soft skills.”
“The I-LEAD program creates a win-win situation for both mentors and participants,” said Dr. Nyarambi. “Mentees gain invaluable insights and guidance from established professionals. Mentors enjoy the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience, fostering a sense of purpose and giving back to the community while identifying potential recruits.”
These mentor relationships strengthen a student’s academic education by providing guidance on how to develop and understand “habits of mind and association” to take on opportunities beyond the classroom. Employers are increasingly looking for skills beyond technical and academic in potential new hires and have found that when students are equally academically qualified, soft skills may give them a positional advantage over their peers.
The I-LEAD program recognizes the importance of mentorship in cultivating strong leadership skills. The student engagement and success goals of the program include strengthening students’ networking and relationship-building skills while providing students with real-world experience to learn how to curate a career path from industry professionals. The program includes Success with Essential Etiquette exercises to provide students with professional development of lifelong and employer-desired essential etiquette skills.
The I-LEAD mentorship and engagement program contributes to strengthening innovative strategies to provide learning, engagement, and career-focused student engagement opportunities per Northeast State’s mission. T he program’s collaborators are the Center for Leadership, Enrichment, Access, and Discovery (LEAD) and the Career and Workforce Development Center. The program also features a professional development opportunity for 20 Northeast State staff and faculty.
Applications for both mentors and participants in the I-LEAD program will be opening soon for the fall and spring semesters. Interested individuals can learn more about the program and apply online at https://www.northeaststate.edu/resources/lead-center.html .
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