Mentors, sponsors needed for electromechanical training program

Every good student deserves a role model and a group sponsor. That's why Rick Alexander of the Education Programs Office (STB/EPO) is recruiting mentors and sponsors for the revamped Electromechnical Technician Training program set to debut next August at the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos.

Alexander hopes to have a number of volunteers recruited by the time the Laboratory recesses for the winter break in December. In recruiting students, the Laboratory is limited primarily by how many sponsors and mentors sign up, Alexander said.

The electromechanical program is designed to train students in electronics, drafting and basic engineering principles. The program was started at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) a few years ago, but has been expanded to include the entire Laboratory, Alexander said.

"The primary purpose of a mentor is to help students succeed," Alexander said. "Mentors hold and create an environment of possibilities within the Electromechanical Technician Training program."

Alexander said effective mentoring can help students learn in a safe and professional work environment, and establish a framework for what is expected in the work place.

Some of the qualities Alexander is looking for in potential mentors are mutual respect, trust, vision and a concern about others.

"The mentor and the student share a deep respect for the common pursuit as well as for the underlying values driving the pursuit," Alexander said. "It is the shared respect that connects and provides the foundation for the work the mentor and the student will do together. Accepting others for who they are, without apology or explanation, is an essential aspect of mentoring."

For more information about mentoring an electromechanical student, contact Alexander at 5-4373 or write to alexander_rick@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

-- Michael Carlson

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