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this page President's Perspective: Mentoring is the Key to the Long Term Health of Our Profession By Steve Usher, P.Geo.APGO President  It was disturbing to learn that the median age of geoscientists across Canada is about 50. The number of people entering our profession each year is fewer than the number that are retiring. The cyclic nature of the mining industry results in fluctuations in the numbers of students seeking geology as a stable career. The enrolment in geoscience at Canadian Universities has declined in recent decades. It is a specialized career, which except possibly in Alberta, is not in the public eye. Yet in a resource rich nation, our economy depends on it and just about everything we do and have can be traced to geology. With a generation of experienced practitioners soon to take retirement, our profession will be in for some difficult and trying times ahead.
On the other hand, those younger geoscientists that will have to step up and fill the breach are some of the most highly trained individuals, confident with both technology and this mature science. In my firm, I work with many motivated and talented individuals. As my term as APGO President progresses, it becomes clear that the same can be said for the entire geoscience community, particularly the younger group. I am sure the key to the health of our profession is mentoring. Passing on the benefits of experience onto the shoulders of those who will soon lead. We, as a profession, must invest in our future now. We must encourage more young people to enter geology and continue as geoscientists. To do this, the APGO has several plans in place or about to proceed. These initiatives are The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program and a Mentoring program (currently under development). The CPD requires that we spend a recommended minimum of 80 hours a year (on average) towards professional development. The hours that each professional spends one-on-one with someone they are mentoring, or being mentored by someone, counts towards these CPD hours (to a maximum of 30 hours per year). An APGO committee charged with developing a formal mentoring program was begun in 2005 under my direction. We developed an approach to connect people with mentors. I am hesitant to admit that the added duties of the presidency have meant that this effort has stalled somewhat. Nevertheless, I am pleased to report that two of our members have stepped forth to reinvigorate our efforts in this direction. One of our early conclusions in the process was that mentoring is not a process of a "greybeard" advising a youngster on the "way it is". Far from it! Mentoring is often done peer to peer, when someone you respect provides an example of how to approach something you need help with. Many times you may be unaware that you have been mentored, or that you are mentoring! Mentoring begins right out of university (if not before), with the best advice often coming from someone just 4 or 5 years older (who remembers what you are going through). I recall how the two senior partners of my firm provided me with guidance. I would get the best technical advice from one and the best writing and management skills from the other. So I would like to leave all our members with the following thought. Please take a little time and effort in your fast paced world to share your professional experience with those around you. We all must take the time to learn from those around us and ensure that as we gain in our own experience, that we pass it on again. For our experienced practitioners, please recall who inspired you and share that with your younger colleagues. I hope I have provided a reminder to how important mentoring is and will be to our profession. Please make a long-term investment in people and become a mentor to a colleague. |
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