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A new mentoring program has been developed to support trainees from across the ADF.
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The RAAF School of Technical Training (RAAFSTT) has designed a mentoring program to support Navy, Army and Air Force trainees.
Known as ‘Your Options Unlocked’ (YOU), the program involves 37 volunteer mentors from all three services and a range of units at RAAF Base Wagga, including RAAFSTT Commanding Officer Wing Commander Sheena Stapleton.
The YOU program aims to establish a mentoring culture to support the development of RAAFSTT trainees while also fostering the mentoring skills and experience of RAAFSTT staff.
Participants are provided with career advice, professional growth and development, and contemporary advice from experienced ADF personnel.
Course Military Adviser at RAAFSTT Sergeant Elizabeth Lawson, who helped shape the program, said she hoped to inspire the next generation of aviation technicians.
Aircraftwoman Charlie Atkins commented on her experiences as a mentee: “The mentoring support I received from Sergeant Lawson was specific to me, built to work on what I believed I was struggling in, and aimed specifically at my resilience, determination and confidence.
“The YOU program helped me work on my flaws, making me stronger not only as an individual, but also as a member of the Air Force.
“I now have the confidence, resilience and determination to be the best Air Force woman I can be.”
Aircraftwoman Jesse Ramm, a RAAFSTT trainee, encouraged her peers to participate in the program.
“Having Sergeant Lawson as my mentor has been invaluable to my start at RAAFSTT,” she said.
“I have mostly valued her compassion, openness and willingness to engage about ordinary things like learning to live a new life with different priorities from the civilian world.”
RAAFSTT trainee, Aircraftwoman Ebony Warren, said the YOU program helped expand her Air Force network.
“Having Sergeant Lawson as a mentor has given me a point of contact who can provide emotional and mental support in a more informal setting and someone who I can go to when I need advice,” she said.
“Overall, I found the mentor program to be a very positive experience and one I would definitely recommend as it allows for another support network to be established, ensuring you feel valued as a trainee.”
[Related: ADF prepares for training exercise in Western Australia]
