At the top of this list of success factors when establishing and growing a long-term career in the Ontario home building industry is the need for lifelong learning and professional development. This is a key reason why the OHBA Futures Faster program focuses on mentored upskilling.
Whether your career is just beginning or already well established, working with a mentor can accelerate the impact of any learning you pursue. In fact, mentorship can be a critical ingredient in building a sustainable and successful career in construction. With guidance from someone invested in your future, you not only gain clarity and direction but also form meaningful connections that benefit mentors, mentees, and businesses alike.
This is why OHBA Futures Faster exists: to cultivate new talent and retain experienced professionals through mentorship and targeted micro-credential training that provides mentors and mentees with the opportunity to learn and upskill together. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that builds stronger careers, retains talent, and develops the industry’s workforce to help meet the growing demands of home building in Ontario.
How a Mentor Can Accelerate Learning
A career in the Ontario home building industry can take on many forms: from building, renovating, design, engineering, development, and real estate to product supply, consulting, non-profit, policy, governance, and even education. In any of these careers, there is no shortage of opportunity for success and professional development through upskilling.
But how does one know exactly what kind of upskilling is needed to advance a career?
Let’s take a look at how the invaluable guidance from a mentor can answer this question.
Get Personalized, One-on-One Guidance
You can never underestimate the importance of guidance from a mentor who has been down that same road before. Because they’ve continued developing their skills and education over the course of their career, mentors can share that wealth of experience as they guide mentees through their career paths.
Through personalized guidance (and understanding the unique goals and ambitions of a mentee), a mentor can make very helpful and specific upskilling recommendations. Mentors simplify the journey by modelling how they choose the right skills.
Build Confidence Through Mentorship
With a mentor’s experienced help, mentees can move from uncertainty to clarity, reducing decision paralysis and building the confidence to take their next steps. As skills and knowledge grow, so does self-belief.
Learning why self-led career development is important (either through the example of the mentor or through a mentee’s own learning achievements), a mentee will develop the confidence to invest in themselves throughout their career, which will lead to greater and faster success, and long-term career satisfaction.
Avoid Common Mistakes
As with any career, mistakes are simply part of the learning process. But why not avoid a few with a seasoned mentor’s assistance?
A mentor will be able to help their mentees avoid common mistakes, such as:
- Investing time in skills that aren’t in demand or valued in the industry.
- Neglecting to set clear, actionable career goals before pursuing training.
- Underestimating the importance of building and maintaining a professional network.
- Overcommitting to too many learning opportunities at once, leading to burnout.
- Failing to leverage new skills for promotion, raises, or career shifts.
- Ignoring feedback or advice from more experienced professionals in the field.
By sharing their experience, both their successes and missteps, mentors are well positioned to help mentees make informed choices and accelerate their career growth.
Expand a Professional Network
Mentorship is a game-changer because it can open doors to new professional connections, otherwise out of reach. Industry introductions help mentees continue their development journey with fresh perspectives and advice, while expanding their network to support career growth. Mentors can also benefit by meeting new talent, potential hires, and peers with unique capabilities.
In a competitive industry, building a strong network creates a sense of belonging and community—factors that help keep people engaged and committed to their careers long term. Done well, mentorship expands opportunities for both mentees and mentors, making it a true win-win.
Learn from Real-Time Feedback and Accountability
Throughout the upskilling that comes with OHBA Futures Faster, one of the most crucial elements of a mentor’s guidance can be found in the real-time feedback they provide during the mentorship meetings.
By connecting regularly as they complete their micro-credential courses, mentors and mentees can share insights and quickly determine whether the learning is effectively addressing the skills gap.
Life-Long Learning and Connections
The hope of OHBA Futures Faster is that our mentorship pairs will gain much from their experience together. The program is built to inspire both during the few months together, as well as encourage each participant to take the habit of continual upskilling and improvements into every stage of their careers.
By supercharging the learning with a mentor, both parties will get a lot out of the micro-credential courses, shared learning, and impactful connections along with more career clarity, excitement and momentum.
Ready to dive in as a mentor or mentee? Fill out our eligibility form today*.
*Program details, availability, and eligibility are accurate as of the date of publication and may change over time. Please explore the OHBA Futures Faster website for the most current information.
