The Mentorship Programme: supporting expert’s growth and collaboration

StandICT.eu is committed to support the new generation of standardisation professionals, particularly from academic and SME backgrounds, who often face barriers such as limited resources and a lack of direct experience. The implementation of its new Mentorship Programme further strengthens this mission, creating an invaluable support system for newcomers to the standardisation field.

The Mentorship Programme was introduced as part of the project’s Standardisation Training Strategy in around its 4^th Open Call in September 2024. It was created to pair experienced standardisation experts, many of whom are returning StandICT.eu fellows, with newcomers, enabling them to share knowledge and practical guidance.

Stéphane Joret, StandICT Fellow

One of the examples of the vital role and success of StandICT.eu is Stéphane Joret, senior expert consultant in ITSM and ITAM at Liscience. Stéphane’s work focuses on the ISO/IEC 19770 family of standards for IT asset management, for which he started participating to the development of a technical document that offered guidance, as implementing IT asset management is complex and difficult to integrate for many organisations.

Stéphane’s journey with StandICT.eu began when he took over as project leader for the ISO project he was working on. The opportunity arose when the original project leader retired, but as an SME professional, Stéphane faced financial challenges in covering the time and travel costs associated with this demanding role. The Fellowship Programme provided essential funding, enabling him to step into the leadership position and contribute effectively to the project.

How the Mentorship Programme can support experts to address key issues

After he was appointed as a Fellow, Stéphane participated in the Mentorship Programme, which proved equally vital in overcoming specific challenges. At an advanced stage of his project, after it went through the ballots of all national standardisation bodies, a particular comment from one national delegation questioned the content and the entire project overall.

Uncertain about how to address this critical feedback, Stéphane turned also to the mentorship network for advice to confirm how to best handle the situation. Through discussions with mentors and other experts, he received valuable insights and inputs that helped him navigating the situation by engaging constructively with the Chinese delegation. Their guidance confirmed his approach and helped resolve the issue, allowing the project to move forward.

Reflecting on his experience during a webinar organised by StandICT.eu, Stéphane emphasized the combined impact of the Fellowship and Mentorship Programmes:

The Fellowship has been vital to take on the role of project leader. And the Mentorship Programme helped me addressing a key challenge in this role.

Especially when combined together, these programs are vital to enable European experts as Stéphane to effectively contribute and even lead the ICT standardisation efforts.

How to participate to the Mentorship Programme?

Participation to the programme as either mentors or mentees is completely free and not binding. When applying for an ongoing Open Call, experts have the possibility to sign up simply through a checkbox. Experts can become mentors or mentees even if they have not been selected as Fellows, thus creating a valuable opportunity open to all to get more experience in standardisation and create connections.