Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get our top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Header image courtesy of @akson (via Unsplash)
There’s no better time than the present to embark on a journey of self-improvement. Whether you’re a student making great plans for the future or a professional looking to gain invaluable guidance and a step up in your burgeoning career, there are plenty of mentorship programmes in Hong Kong available that will put you in touch with the right people to help you along on your journey. Here are 10 of the best mentoring schemes spanning different sectors, industries, and age ranges.
This mentoring programme by the British Chamber of Commerce is for young professionals in Hong Kong who are looking to seek advice and forge relationships within the business community. Mentees will be matched with senior business personnel with the Chamber according to their specific areas of work and interests, and the pair will set objectives and targets to accomplish within the scheme’s structure. Apart from one-on-one sessions held at least quarterly, mentees will also have access to relevant Chamber events such as Business Angel breakfasts, skills workshops, and networking events.
British Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, Unit 1201, Emperor Group Centre, 288 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai | (+852) 2824 2211
As the Asian music industry experiences a renaissance, audiences everywhere are growing more receptive to different musical styles—despite the prevalence of Canto-pop, the same can also be said for Hong Kong, where independent music is becoming increasingly appreciated. Knowing how hard it is for newcomers to break into the local music industry, Ear Up Music has helmed Ear Up Incubation for four years now, equipping artistes with knowledge on industry trends, label establishing, and potential collaboration opportunities. 18 groups of indie music talent are selected to go through small group mentorship sessions, performance workshops, and live-house showcases. 12 groups of outstanding mentees will then be given the opportunity to perform their music at a festival.
Ear Up Incubation, 10/F, Hollywood Commercial House, 3–5 Old Bailey Street, Central | (+852) 2811 8766
Aiming to empower girls and women in Hong Kong, The Women’s Foundation has been running its mentoring programme since 2009 to place professional women in meaningful and impactful relationships. Participants will go through a year of mentoring formats ranging from one-on-one, peer-to-peer, group mentoring, as well as leadership development skills workshops and networking events. If you want to learn from highly successful women, gain insights to better tackle issues in the workplace, and ultimately see an increase in the number of women in policy- and decision-making roles across sectors, The Women’s Foundation’s mentorship is for you.
The Women’s Foundation, 9A, Chun Wo Commercial Centre, 23–29 Wing Wo Street, Sheung Wan | (+852) 2592 8265
Most mentorship schemes are geared towards young professionals, but not so the case with this one. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Hong Kong Institute of Science, The Academy of Sciences Hong Kong launched this programme to nurture our city’s next generation of scientific talent.
Successful scientists and engineers serve as pro bono mentors to senior secondary school students who are interested in science and technology, and in doing so, they work towards maintaining Hong Kong’s momentum and success in scientific innovation. Given the prevalence and importance placed on STEM education in recent years, such a mentorship programme can only spell good things for bright young futures.
The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, Unit 702, 7/F, Building 10W, 10 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Sha Tin | (+852) 3543 5915
The Women in Law Hong Kong mentoring programme is committed to enhancing profiles, skills, and opportunities for women working in the legal field, an industry that suffers from female attrition every year. This programme is open for women with three to seven years of legal experience, giving young female lawyers the opportunity to seek impartial guidance from experienced professionals without the prejudice that often comes with organisational baggage. In response to the global pandemic, WILHK will include a virtual matching event, a virtual kick-off, two specially tailored skills workshops, and two social networking events on top of one-on-one mentoring sessions.
With real estate as such a big market in Hong Kong, it makes sense that there is a mentoring scheme specific to the land use and real estate industry. Under the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Young Leaders Group (YLG) organises mentorship pairings based on individual preferences, professional backgrounds, experience, and time commitments. ULI members under the age of 35—therefore anyone within the YLG—such as real estate professionals, architects, engineers, financial analysts, city planners, and lawyers can apply to be paired with a D-suite professional from a pool of industry leaders, with a minimum of quarterly meetings over a mutually agreeable schedule.
Urban Land Institute Hong Kong, Room 3418, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central | (+852) 2886 1631
Not tied to any one industry, this mentoring scheme aims to support and increase the number of LGBTQI+ professionals in leadership pipelines across Hong Kong to influence policy- and decision-making across all sectors. Young LGBTQI+ professionals are faced with specific needs and struggles in the workplace, so Community Business has developed a nine-month programme to provide structure and an extended network to those seeking guidance within the queer community. Mentees can expect monthly one-on-one meetings, group mentoring, networking events, as well as a dynamic curriculum of professional development sessions.
Community Business, 21/F, Hing Lung Commercial Building, 68 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan | (+852) 2201 1828
A similar mentorship scheme that’s targeted towards the younger LGBTQI+ community in Hong Kong is the Pink Alliance mentorship programme. Fruits in Suits and the Queer Straight Alliance has collaborated for the past nine years to establish a platform where queer students in higher education can be paired with professional mentors from a wide range of industries. Mentees can expect to meet their mentors in person approximately four times over the course of the academic year, and gain insights into successfully navigating the workforce as a member of the LGBTQI+ community.
It’s 2021 and there are still complex social and economic barriers in the way of women’s advancement. Within the many cultures across the Pacific Rim, there are gender stereotypes at play that create wide gaps in gender equality and women’s empowerment. On top of gender-related discrepancies in treatment, women of colour also have to contend with systemic racism that still widely persists in the Asia Pacific region.
The APWiL mentoring programme, therefore, offers women and leaders at Association of Pacific Rim universities the opportunity to support the growth of aspiring women leaders within the region, increase awareness of the challenges they face, and enhance global and intercultural dimensions across the APRU network. Across the 10 participating APRU member institutes, mentors and mentees will have bi-monthly virtual meetings over the course of the year-long programme, as well as participate in events on leadership, empowerment, and professional growth.
APRU International Secretariat, Unit 902, Cyberport 2, 100 Cyberport Road, Pok Fu Lam | (+852) 2117 7077
Certified public accountants with less than seven years of post-qualification working experience can use this mentorship to receive guidance on professional and ethical behaviour, problem-solving, decision-making, and self-management from experienced members of the industry. Because each mentor-mentee pairing decides individual objectives, mentees are given a personalised development opportunity targeted to their needs, with access to independent and objective perspectives. Mentees can also consider including the mentoring process as part of non-verifiable CPD hours. The programme will include regular mentor meetings, training sessions, reviews, and start- and end-of-term gatherings.
Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 37/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai | (+852) 2287 7055
Catharina has recently returned to her hometown of Hong Kong after spending her formative years in Singapore and the UK. She enjoys scouring the city for under-the-radar things to do, see, and eat, and is committed to finding the perfect foundation that will withstand Hong Kong’s heat. She is also an aspiring polyglot, a firm advocate for feminist and LGBTQIA+ issues, and a huge lover of animals. You can find her belting out show-tunes in karaoke, or in bookstores adding new tomes to her ever-growing collection.
Top