October 10, 2020, we launched our pilot cohort as an organization; the We-Discover cohort. A mentorship cohort designed for entry-level women in technology and women seeking to transition into the technology industry. In this cohort, we provided mentorship for more than 200 women across 4 continents with higher penetration in West and East Africa.
Subsequently, we launched another edition of the We-Discover program to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, training more than 1000 women in technology in soft skills relevant to the industry while providing mentorship to more than 300 women in technology. We owe it to the amazing women who joined our community as mentors and those who trust in our vision and enrolled to be mentored through our community.
We believe women can aspire for any role in technology and achieve it and it is our responsibility to create an ecosystem that fosters both participation and retention of women in technology. This is fundamentally why we exist.
We have received some really amazing feedback from members of our community on the impact of the mentorship program on their journey as women in technology and we decided to share some of them with you to show you how one decision could be pivotal on your journey as a woman in technology.
Chisom is one of our mentees from the We-Discover cohort who maximized her relationship with her Mentor Ufua Ameh and was able to get a bit of clarity on what to do and how best to approach the industry. Below is an excerpt of the conversation we had with her.
How did the We-Discover Cohort impact you?
My name is Chisom Odinde, I am an Associate Technology Consultant. At the beginning of the year, getting a career mentor was one of my goals. I was at a point where I really needed guidance. I was already working hard but I needed direction from someone I could relate to, who has passed through this phase in the tech industry.
Being part of the ‘We-Discover’ cohort helped me become more accountable, and aware of my communication style and how to use it efficiently.
What was the best part of the program for you?
The best part of the program for me, was my wentor — Ufua Ameh, also the various Saturday trainings and webinars on communication, networking as so on.
How did your wentor impact your success journey?
I have improved both personally and professional since the beginning of the cohort till this moment, thanks to my very relatable mentor Ufua Ameh. She taught me how to write and accomplish my SMART goals. She followed up constantly, sharing links, applications, and assignments to help me achieve them. Her good works results in me writing 3 certifications, joining a professional body, and landing a better tech job.
What advice will you give to future wentees?
When I really needed a career mentor, Wentors came to the rescue, if you come across this story, take some minutes of your time to apply for this next cohort. It’s a step you will be grateful you took. The love, support, motivation, and inspiration of ladies all over the world doing great things in tech are some of the things you should look forward to. One more thing, you don’t need to have a tech background, you just need to be interested in tech as there has been a lot of inspirational career switch stories. You could be next.
EduAbasi Chukwunweike, founder and CEO of Wentors said this in a conversation with her:
Many defining moments in the tech industry led up to this point. There is a whole lot done individually to get women into the tech industry, however, there was no intentionality in getting them to remain. We have a bold ambition to tilt the scale of participation and retention of women in the technology industry and we are making that possible through mentorship relationships.
Wentors have a rapidly growing community of over 2000 women in technology across four continents in the world and remains committed to providing mentorship to more women in technology.
